Unreachable
by LittleFlowerLei
Summary: Erik was forced out of the opera house after the fire. He had no money, and no where to go.Out of the goodness of her heart,Alex gave him somewhere to stay.But will he make afresh start with his past threatining to come back and bite him?Ch36 up,ALW.
1. Run Just…GO!

**Run Just…GO!**

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great._

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He had to get away, that was all he could think about. He had to run as far from Paris as he could, even though he should have stayed below. He _knew_ that there would be a search for him in Paris, and that he shouldn't have left the safety of his lair, but he had to run. The mob was after him, and the opera house was full of memories of his Christine, he _had _to get away. 

In fact, he didn't know _why _he decided to escape. There was no where for him to go; no one needed him around. No one waited for him, why'd he bother to run anyway?

There was no answer for his reasons, none that he could think of. He wasn't afraid of the mob, certainly he could handle them; and he wasn't afraid of dying, in fact, he _welcomed_ death. All he knew was that he used an escape tunnel to crawl out of the opera house, and the police were looking for him, he began to run to the North West, and hadn't stopped since.

His mind told him to stop, that he didn't have to run anymore, but his legs kept running. His legs began to throb as he left Paris, and was far enough out so he could rest.

Never had he run like that before, or at least- not for a while. The last time he ran as if his life depended on it was when Antoinette Giry helped him escape the gypsies. That- incidentally- ended up being the last time he feared for his life.

"Damn it!" He yelled to himself, slamming his fist on the ground. He _couldn't_ go back, even if he wanted to.

_Well, I hope you're happy_ a voice inside him nagged. _You've finally exiled __yourself__. It was only a matter of time I suppose._

"I didn't mean to, I had to get out. The cellar was filling with smoke, the mob, I had no choice." He argued, he was probably just trying to figure out why he'd done what he did. But for whatever reason, he'd done it; there was no turning back.

_Guess what else?_ The voice mocked.

"What?"

_Touch your face._ Erik did so; he raised his hand and covered the side of his face, which had no mask!

"Shit!" Erik snapped, fear and stupidity gripped his heart when he realized that he'd left his mask back in Paris, along with his wig, money, and music box.

_Yep!_ The voice taunted proudly. _You forgot your mask __and__ wig, although I can't wait for you to figure a way out of this._

Quickly, Erik rose to his feet. Even though his side still ached like mad, and his legs throbbed, he ran. He couldn't risk being exposed for so long. Frankly, without his mask and wig, he felt naked, and a man as refined as him hated to feel naked in the forest.

He ran until he hit the next town, Beauvaris; he had his hand on his face and was gawked at by everyone. But he didn't think any of it, for two main reasons:

He had to find a wig and a mask

He had been gawked at his whole life, so it wasn't much of a surprise. Besides, he'd anticipated it.

He went through the town until he found a store that specialized in Masquerade costumes, ironically enough. He marched in without asking the clerk where the masks or wigs were. He looked like he was on a mission, and he was.

He went right for the masks, and found one that covered his _entire_ face, but he didn't need it to. All he needed was for it to cover his disfigurement, and he also took into consideration that he would be more likely to be arrested for burglary or something stupid if he wore the mask as a whole.

In all actuality, he didn't need a wig. The mask covered enough of his face so that his hair that flung out over the edge of it could be tucked neatly in the mask, and he wouldn't look like the same person, considering the mask was black with some fake feathers on it that he'd pull off later.

It wasn't until after he got the mask that he remembered that he didn't have any money.

_Oh well._ He thought to himself as he hid the mask within his fluffy shirt. _Won't be the first time. _He put his hand back over his face, and left the store; but not before stealing a pair of scissors from the sewing department.

It was actually surprisingly easy. He hid in Beauvaris's park until he could cut half his mask off, and put the left half on his face. _Wow, you handled that pretty well!_ The voice praised, and it sounded impressed with him.

"Damn Dirty Thief!" The clerk of the Masquerade shop could be heard yelling not far off. Panicking, Erik stood and ran.

_Damn it I hate this! I'm running like an __animal_ He thought to himself as he left the town and started back into the forest.

_Just keep going. If you get arrested, they'll take the mask and whatever shred of dignity you've got left._ The voice replied as if Erik cared what it thought.

_I haven't __got__ any dignity left._ Erik snapped at himself mentally as he ran.

_No, you've mistaken. You have got __dignity__, what you haven't got is __sanity_

He'd spent a couple of days hiding in the forest, eventually he got to Amiens, and had planned on stealing something to eat, but the clerk watched him closely because of his mask (Which he pulled the feathers off of by then.) and he couldn't steal something.

His stomach growled, and the hunger gnawed away at him. Sure, he was used to the feeling. He rarely ate when he lived below the opera, but he could only go so long without eating. Before long he would perish from hunger, and at that point, it sounded like a good idea to him.

Erik went in and out of Amiens within a day, and wasn't able to steal anything to eat. The eighth to worst thing about his situation was that his clothes were being ripped by the branches he ran through, and he probably stank terribly. But all he could think of was how he would survive if he didn't have any money to buy food.

He became so desperate for food that he ended up eating some berries he found on his way to Lille; but an hour before he got into town; he began to feel very sick. Obviously enough, the berries weren't good for him, and he was feeling himself fade. He stumbled a few inches before falling forward onto the grass, and everything around him faded into black, and all he could think of was:

_Oh god…I'm dying…_

_I'm…Dying… _

_Dying..._

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**OK, this is just an experiment for now. I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not, but I'm going to try it, and if it turns out like a good idea, then good! **

**And btw: I'm using a guide I bought to writing romances, so it'll probably be different than my normal stuff. Not only that, but I'm trying my _hardest_ to keep Erik in character.**


	2. Post man! Post Man!

**Post man! Post Man!**

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great._

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It was so dark… 

Was that what death was like…?

Was he doomed to wander forever in the darkness…?

Ah well, it wasn't any different than how he _lived_.

In the distance, he could hear a very faint sound of a violin, a flute, and a piano. They played together in harmony, making a sound that almost- soothed him. Their tune was not haunting, and not professional, but it showed that whoever played it had been practicing a great deal.

It was ok, being suspended in darkness, listening to an unprofessional version of Mozart's Violin Romance; but the real trouble began when his flesh crawled, and he began to burn.

He couldn't stand it; his skin felt like it was on fire, it crawled, and it burned. After that, the music became a distant memory, all he could feel was the scorching pain on his body, and the throbbing in his legs. All his pains were all lumped together and made it _seem_ ten times worse than it really _was_.

_Well, on top of everything that had happened_ Erik thought to him in his suspended, smoldering darkness. _Now I'm going to hell. But I guess I can't be all __that__ surprised._

Suddenly, the music came to an abrupt stop, and there was a short silence. It wasn't long before he heard a small voice cheer:

"Post man!" and then another

"Post man!" and then another

"Post man!"

Post man? Was he in hell too? Hmm…Small world.

The silence set in after that, and so did the vision of his beloved Christine.

Her long, thick, curly hair haunted him in his dreams, her innocent face, and the look of sheer horror on her face when he put the noose around Raoul's neck.

_The tears I might have shed for your dark fate…grow cold and turn to tears of HATE!_ Her voice echoed in his ears, tormenting him even further and further until he was reduced to tears.

The shock of it alone caused him to jump up and realize that he wasn't dead.

No, not quite.

Somehow, he was lying in a bed, and his shirt had been removed. When he sprang up, he caused the wet cloth that had been sitting on his chest to fall into his lap, and the one on his forehead to fall beside it.

"What the hell…?" He asked himself as he glanced around the room. It wasn't a _big_ room, but it wasn't small either. It was a decent sized room, with a dresser that didn't look like it was used; a small red area rug against glossy wood floors, and the bed was actually very comfortable. He still felt like he was burning, but it was a comforting thought to know that he wasn't.

Without another thought, Erik put his hand on his face, and found his black mask was still on his face.

He was sitting by a window, so he knew it was mid-afternoon at the least. The sun was high in the sky, it was a clear day, and he felt like he was going to be sick.

Erik felt his legs throb, the pounding pain was intense, but of course he kind of figured it would be, he ran from Paris to Lille within a few weeks, of _course_ they hurt.

"Look who woke up." Came a voice from the door, making Erik snap his head towards the door; and he might have come off as a bit terrified. "I'm actually surprised," the woman continued, she had long black hair that she didn't have in any particular fashion, and she wore a yellow dress. "I thought you'd have died before now, I guess you're built like a brick shit house." Erik found her accent odd, it wasn't Irish, English, or French. In fact, it sounded- Australian.

"Where am I?" He answered tiredly, moving so he could lean against the wall, he never felt so weak in his life, he never was a helpless person, and he hated it.

"Why, you're at my house!" She chimed cheerily, she'd actually hoped to bring up his mood a bit, but it didn't work. "Well technically, you're a mile or two away from Lille," Erik nodded, and kept a cautious eye on her, and she kept an eye on him. After a long, awkward silence, the woman spoke up again. "So, where you from mate?"

"…Paris…" Erik answered cautiously, and he saw a shocked expression fade onto her face.

"Paris?! That's a good couple of weeks away ain't it?" Erik slowly nodded; he was taken a little off guard by the way she was so animated, but didn't say that aloud to her. "Well no wonder you collapsed! Well that, and you ate those berries that made you sick."

"How long have I…?" Erik asked, his head, legs, arms, and stomach still throbbing unbelievably.

"I found you two weeks ago," The woman saw Erik's eyes widen, two _weeks_, it only felt like he was asleep for a couple of _hours_. The woman approached him, and he could see her features a little clearer. She had brown eyes, and around her neck he saw she wore a necklace shaped like an owl's head. "I'm Alexandra by the way, but my friends call me Alex." Erik nodded, and he coldly replied:

"Good to know, Alexandra." She gave him a funny look, and then simply replied:

"Would you like some Adams Ale?" Erik didn't reply- because he wasn't too sure what that meant. He never learned Australian, most of the people he ever heard talking were either French or English. Upon seeing the confused look on his face, Alexandra cleared it up. "Water, would you like water?" Erik nodded. He wanted to get it himself, but he was too tired and weak to get it. So he just watched as the black haired woman left the room to get the water.

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**Eck, short, but I didn't want to push my luck in this chapter. It actually think it turned out pretty well. I mean, it's going great so far :) I have to start school next week. Ecker. **


	3. Chicken Soup

**Chicken Soup**

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great._

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Erik slept a lot, he was still very sick; and he didn't have much reason to get out of bed. Christine was lost to him, he burnt down his home, and he was virtually alone. More so than before, at least back then he had wooing Christine to look forward to. 

He enjoyed his sleep, it was the only place where he could picture himself with Christine, living in the labyrinth, with a little girl of their own running around; calling Erik 'daddy'.

It was such a perfect thought that, when he was awake, he wished it would be real. The worst part about waking from his fantasy was that when he did; everything flooded at him, the realization that Raoul was living his fantasy. He had Christine in his home, he was going to have a little girl running about in the De Changy mansion, calling Raoul 'daddy'. That understanding was upsetting.

He could hear Alex in the bathroom next to his room, vomiting. He didn't think berry sickness and running from Paris to Lille was contagious, so he figured she must have caught something before he came.

Even if she had, he didn't care. He wanted _Christine_; He wanted to wake up in the swan bed with her next to him, asking him if he had a nightmare. He wanted the whole ugly mess with the opera house to be a nightmare, but the amount of pain he was in made him realize that it couldn't be a dream, and that was more than displeasing.

So he slept. It was the only thing he could do from going mad without Christine and with being confined to a bed for such a length of time. He slept, and he dreamed of what he knew would never be his otherwise.

He had a family…

He had a wife…

He had a normal face…

He had a normal life…

He was happy…

Those were what his dreams contained, all of which he couldn't have in reality. It was a kick in the balls really, to dream of something he wanted more than anything, but could never possess. It was enough for him to get out of bed, write a suicide note to Alexandra, and leave to die out in the forest somewhere. But he didn't, he was too tired to move, and it wasn't enough objective to get him out of bed.

He hated sleeping so much, he knew that only depressed people slept a lot.

_Well, you __are__ depressed._ His mind told him as he lay in bed, waiting for sleep to sweep him away. _Besides, as soon as you're better you can leave._

But to where? Lille was right next to the Mediterranean Sea, he had no money for a ferry, and even if he did; where would he go from there?

There was no where _to_ go, The opera house was the only place he knew, but he couldn't go back, he knew that the police were looking for him, why wouldn't they be?

He could hear Alex finish throwing up, and then leaving the bathroom entirely. He didn't know why she'd been so sick, but then again, it was none of his business. That and he didn't give a rat's ass why she was sick.

Before he fell asleep, he heard small whispering and giggling coming from beside his bed. He opened the eye closest to the edge, and saw three little girls who all looked identical. All of them had black hair, brown eyes, and a light dust of freckles on their faces.

"Can I help you?" Erik asked icily, the three girls shared a look, and then looked back at him. The two on the sides elbowed the one in the middle, who spoke up shyly.

"You're Mr. Mask." She informed him quietly. "The one momma is taking care of."

"Right" He replied, not showing much interest or want in talking to the little triplets. But they insisted that he did.

"I'm Chloe; these are my sisters Ella and Sophie. We came in to see if you wanted to play, you're always in here, and this isn't a fun room." Erik shook his head at the girl who looked at her sisters in question, as if she was trying to ask them how to get him to come out and play.

"Please Mr.?" Ella spoke up sweetly, giving him the innocent, kicked puppy look, but he didn't feel for her. He didn't feel much of anything anymore for anyone.

"No" He said, keeping his temper under control. He knew he shouldn't shout at the little girls for trying to be nice, but there were a lot of things he shouldn't have done.

"You can play with my dollies" Sophie tried to persuade. "They're real pretty, and fun too." Erik shook his head again, and the girls looked at each other in defeat. They were about to try again, until they heard their mother's voice behind them.

"Girls, I told you not to come in here, now go on;" The girls erupted in a mad giggle as their mother playfully pushed them out of the room, saying: "Scoot, scoot!" They giggled their way out of the room and down the hall to their playroom, where they completely forgot all about Erik for the time being. "I see you met my brood."

"Persistent little things." Erik told her tonelessly, at that point wishing _everyone _would go away so he could sleep.

"Yeah, they're hell raisers too. Ella and Chloe are the worst, and Sophie just follows along on their adventures." Erik saw she was proud of her little ones, and he could see why, they were persistent young ladies; she had reason to be proud. She turned to him with a smile and sweetly said: "I remembered a way for you to help the pain in your legs stop." He didn't want to look desperate for the answer, but he was. He hated the pain in his legs, and he wanted it to stop. "A hot bath helps." Erik nodded, and used his arms to help himself sit up. Alexandra helped him up, but he swatted her away with his arm.

"I can handle it." He hissed at her, she took her hands off him and watched him walk to the bathroom, but looking very tired by the time he got there.

Erik locked the door before he filled the bathtub with warm water, and waited until that was done before undressing. He would _not_ be caught naked.

He gently lowered himself into the hot water, and realized what a good idea it was. It was soothing, and just as Alex had predicted, it relieved his aching legs.

He took his mask and put it neatly beside the bathtub so if he needed to grab it quickly, it was there; and then he submerged his head under water.

All the while, Alex was in the kitchen struggling to make chicken soup for Erik. Her three daughters were watching her attempt closely, and were helping her along the way. Cooking wasn't one of her stronger points, she could cook without burning the house down, but her food usually didn't taste all that great.

It was Sophie who told her not to cut the pads of yellow fat off the tail area of the chicken, Chloe told her to cover the ingredients by two inches, and Ella got a bucket incase her mother vomited over the yellow pads of fat.

"What would I do without you girls?" Alex asked with a smile as they waited for the food to cook.

"Make bad chicken soup!" They answered in unison, causing Alex to smile.

Where would he go…?

He could go to Asia, or maybe Persia, either one would be good. But even if he could stow away on a ship; and even if he could get to those places, where would he go once he was there? Unlike stealing bread, it was rather difficult to steal a house and an organ. He couldn't go on stealing forever; he would have to find _some_ sort of employment.

But who would hire a man with a face like his who had to wear a mask? He looked like some sort of thief and that was kind of a deal breaker. There wasn't just that fact, but the fact that Erik didn't think he could stand working _for_ someone. At the opera, it was: "Pay me or die" but in the rest of the world, it was: "I'll do what you say for money." And he liked the first one so much better.

He knew that he had enough time to figure out a plan of action, but his mind wouldn't let it rest. He wanted to know what he'd do about finding somewhere to go. Life was so much easier when he _couldn't_ leave the opera; he was tied there by Christine, and her belief that he was the angel of music.

Not anymore, there was no angel of music, and he was torn away from the opera house like a child torn away from its mother at birth.

Erik was startled back into reality when a knock came at the door.

"Mate, I made you some soup, when you come out it's by the bed." Alex called from the other side; she called him 'mate' because she didn't know his name. What else was she to call him? Mr. Mask?

"Alright" Erik called back to her, agitated that she bothered him during his bath, and a little surprised to hear she made him soup.

"You might want to hurry, it'll get cold." Erik replied the same way he did before, and hurried to finish his bath. He was very caught off guard that as he washed the shampoo out of his hair, Alex used her skeleton key to walk right on into the bathroom to bring him some clean clothes.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" He yelled at her, trying to look subtle in trying to cover himself up.

"Oh she'll be apples mate. I have three daughters; you ain't got nothing I haven't seen before." She told him coolly as he gave her a horrified expression, one that basically was yelling at her to get out. All she did was casually put the clothes on the counter, tell him to hurry or his soup would be cold, and then leave.

When he got out, he put on his mask and the clothes she brought him, and went into the room where he stayed. There it was, starring back at him, the chicken soup Alex had brought him.

She came in just as he sat down on his bed and started to eat it, and she got angry when he made a sour face.

"What, you don't like it?" She snapped at him, putting her hands on her hips.

"Honestly no." he obviously wasn't going to spare her feelings; he honestly thought it was terrible.

"Well fine, next time you can make your _own_ food!" Little did Erik know that was just a taste of the temper Alex seemed to have.

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**Wow! Two updates in one day! That's nice. I'll probably put more up later today. :) **


	4. Now Let's bring in the animals!

**Now let's bring in the animals!**

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great._

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It was weird, even though Alex said that he would have to get his own food, she ended up getting his food and taking care of him anyway. He'd noticed how weird she was, she was happy one minute, and angry the next. Her mood swings were worse than _his_. And because of the fact that they both had terrible moodswings, they argued almost constantly while he was stuck at her house. 

She called him an arse, he called her a tempermental pandora, she called him some more insulting australian names, and he called her a destructive siren. They're insults weren't particularly good, but they always found a way to bother the other. Weither it was him yelling swear words so her daughters could hear, or if it was her purposly walking in on him for a stupid reason while he was in the bath. They fought so often that Erik doubted that she would allow him to stay if he asked.

The two were always clashing, like two angry goats.

He was still confined to the bed, and frankly he was bored out of his mind. The girls had offered to bring their toys to him and play, but he didn't want to play. He ended up starring at the celine and looking out the window for hours on end.

"Having fun?" Alex asked him one afternoon when she came to check up on him. He looked at her and gave her a very sarcastic expression.

"Loads, Your celine has 8,987 of those dried paint droplets, there is a squirrel that has gone up and down the tree out there sixteen times in the last half hour, and I figured out I blink 62 times a minute." He saw Alex smile and laugh at him for being ever so bored. But he wasn't kidding, he was serious. She really did have 8,987 paint droplets, that stupid squirrel really did go up and down the tree sixteen times, and he did blink 62 times in a row.

"Are you trying to say you're bored?" Alex asked him, he noticed she didn't look as though she was feeling well that day. She was very white, and she seemed to have her hand balled into a fist around her dress.

"Out of my mind." Erik admitted sourly, eyeing the window to see if the blasted squirrel came back. It hadn't yet, but he had no doubt that it wouldn't. Alex, with a smile, told him to wait. Erik rolled his eyes bitterly and thought _oh yeah like I've got a choice._

When she came back, he saw her carrying a stack of books, all by an author known as Cael Maitland.

"I didn't know if you liked these or not, but beggars can't be choosers."

"I hardly _begged_." Erik snapped at her, she gave him a dirty look, and dropped the stack of books down right on his stomach, causing him to flinch forwards.

"When do you plan on telling me your name mate?" Erik had picked a book out of the stack, and looked at her funny.

"I _didn't_." he snapped icily, opening the book to the first page, and ignoring her from then on out. Except, for one final statement: "And I do like Cael Maitland's books." He saw a soft look take over the angry look that was on her face from the begging statement and the way he told her he wasn't telling her his name.

"I'll be sure to let him know." And she left Erik alone.

While Erik started in on the eighth chapter of Cael Maitland's book "Crimson", he watched a small black kitten sit on the floor of his room, and look at him as if it was asking him to lift it up. Erik had a soft spot for cats, he didn't know why he did; but he did. So, he bent the corner of the page he was on in the book, and lifted the cat off the ground.

It was a tiny, black, cat, probably no less than six or seven weeks old. It still had that tiny, innocent 'mew' noise, instead of the full grown 'meow' noise.

Erik didn't smile as the cat rubbed its head against the palm of his hand, and mewed quietly.

"Well" Erik said to the cat as he sat up and stroked its tiny head. "You seem to be the only living thing that enjoys my company." The cat mewed again as if it understood him, and enjoyed the soft stroking he was doing.

"If momma finds out we lost Fyfe we're dead!" Chloe said to her sisters as they searched the house for the black cat. "She told us not to lose him!"

"We just gotta find him before she does." Sophie said to her sister as she checked under a chair. "She's working, so as long as Fyfe didn't go into her study, we can still find him."

"I'll go see if Mr. Mask has seen him." Ella piped up, leaving her sisters to search the living room, while she ran up the stairs to Erik's room, where the little black cat was sleeping on his chest as he read.

Ella didn't knock; she just went on in and was ecstatic to see Erik had their kitty, and not her mother. "Fyfe!" Ella ran to her kitty, and scooped her off Erik, cuddling her tightly. "Ooh thank you Mr. Mask! Momma would be real, real mad if she found out we lost Fyfe."

"Why's that?" Erik asked, putting a finger in the book to keep his place.

"Fyfe is momma's favorite. She loves our doggie Lena, but Fyfe is so small that momma is worried he'll get hurt. That's why Lena has to stay outside unless Fyfe is in our playroom. Cause she'll eat Fyfe." Ella made a scary face when she said the 'eat Fyfe' line, but it looked silly to Erik. "Do you want to see our doggie Mr. Mask?"

"Oh-well-" he was going to say no, but the two other sisters ran in, thanked him for finding Fyfe, and grabbed his hands so he could meet Lena. They were no longer going to ask nicely. Sophie and Chloe took Erik outside while Ella put Fyfe in her mother's study after asking what to do with her.

Erik was dragged outside by the two girls, who were soon followed by their sister, who walked behind him and pushed his legs forward. They weren't far out before Chloe said:

"Here Lena! Here girl!" Erik wanted to go back and lay down, he was feeling light headed, and tired; but the girls kept him from leaving. It wasn't long before a black and white Siberian husky puppy came trotting up to them, and Chloe lifted her off the ground. "See Mr. Mask? This is Lena, our puppy." But when she turned around, her sisters were looking over Erik, who had fainted.

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**I hope you liked the chapter. I dunno why, but I always figured Erik for a cat person. :) Enjoy!**


	5. Perfect World

**Perfect World**

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great._

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The summer afternoon filled the mansion with a sort of subtle heat. It wasn't like it was scorching hot, but it was definantly weather to go to the beach in.

Erik could feel the water cloth that was placed on his head begin to cool him down; he began to wish he hadn't allowed the girls to take him outside like that, or at least he wished he'd returned to bed before he fainted.

He opened his eyes weakly, and saw the black haired, Australian mother sitting in a chair beside his bed, using the bed to prop her feet up as she scribbled something down on a notepad while occasionally dipping her ink in the ink well on the end table.

She didn't realize he'd woken up; she was too busy writing on the notepad. She had a look in her eye that Erik caught, a look of total dismay. The shimmer in her eyes had been gone for days, and even though she barked at him with her same Australian accent, and slang; and even though he still didn't understand her, it seemed like she was pretending.

He closed his eyes again, he was just glad she didn't try to look under his mask. She at least had enough sense to know that if he wanted her to see what was under it; he would show her himself.

The girls obviously had gone down for their naps before he woke, because the house was silent as the grave, except for the scratching of the quill against the paper.

Before long, she stood and left Erik alone in his room, only to go up to her study. Alex loved her study; it was the only place where she could be at peace. Her office was down the hall from her bedroom, and was lined with shelves and shelves of books.

Their genres varied from horror to mystery, from romance to fantasy, and some cross genres. Romantic fantasies were her favorites, she wasn't sure why though. They just seemed so much more real than real romances.

Alex scoffed as she sat down in front of her typewriter on her desk. _Romance is better left in fantasy novels anyway. Marriages don't last; there are __no__ loyal guys in the world. That's why writers had to make a new world._

She hadn't been aware of that fact for long, but once she had become aware of it; it was all she could see. She put her notepad against the table and put a piece of parchment in her typewriter.

She pushed her hair behind her ear and right before she began, she opened one of the drawers in her desk to pull out her pair of round reading glasses. She put them neatly on the bridge of her nose before she set her left fingers down on the A, S, D, F keys, and her right fingers on the J, K, L and ; keys. From then she transferred the text from the notepad to the parchment.

Her fingers typed rapidly on the keys, she knew where each letter was right when she needed it, and she rarely messed up. When she did, it was a great frustration, because she would have to start the page over again.

Even though she was confident on where the keys were, she still had to glance down at her fingers every once in a while to see if they were headed the right way or not.

She got to a point in what she was writing, and her fingers just froze in mid air. _How could this happen?_ She asked herself sadly as she fell back against the back of the chair, and put her head back, so she was starring at the paint droplets. _I was so sure I wasn't…I did everything to prevent it and it __still__ happened. Ah well, no need to obsess over something I can't change, it happened, eventually, she'll be apples._

Sighing quietly, she allowed her fingers to finish the typing, and when it was done, she took the paper out of the typewriter, put it in an envelope addressed to London, and took it out to the postbox to be mailed away.

Upon her return to the mansion, she starred at the living room floor a moment, trying to decide what to do next. Erik was down and out, and so where her three girls. She shook her head and decided to work a little, she had some free time.

She went back up to her study, placed her glasses back on the bridge of her nose, and pulled out a stack of papers that had been written on, and turned them upside down.

It was funny, when she was writing, she spoke with the dignity and refinement of a sophisticated woman; she didn't use phrases like: "She'll be apples." Or something like that. It was like her speech transphormed completely when she was writing. She was so much more polished; it was like she was a different person.

She felt her glasses start to slip down her nose, and she quickly pushed them back up. She hated when her glasses would slip, but they were only for reading, and when she was writing on the typewriter.

Sadly enough, she found that the words were not coming, just as they weren't the last time she tried to work. In fact, she hadn't been able to write since the day that Bernard left.

After rapping her finger on her desk a bit, she put her glasses down beside her typewriter, and decided to see if there was any housework she had to do. If not, she planned to bathe the afternoon away.

But as she went by Erik's room, she noticed he was awake, and reading. She went through the door and leaned on the wood of it, which caught his attention immediately.

"Welcome back." She replied with a smile on her face, he didn't return it. She noticed he was always so cold, he never joked, and when she attempted to make him laugh; he just gave her a dirty look and started up an argument. "Have a nice nap?" He nodded, his eyes fixing back on the book. "Are you hungry? I could make you something to eat, or maybe a lemon squash?"

"Soup sounds good, and I don't know what a lemon squash _is_."

"Lemonade." She cleared up for him, forgetting that he was a Frenchman, not an Aussie.

"Alright mate Lemonade and Soup coming up. You'll have to _forgive_ me if it's not up to your high standards." Erik scowled at her as she turned to walk down the stairs to the kitchen, where she attempted to make him soup, but making the Lemonade was easier.

She gave it to Erik, and when she returned, she saw something had thrown him into a fit. He was angry; he was sitting up on his bed, facing the window with an angry look on his face.

He'd been thinking of Christine and the Vicomte.

They were so happy that it was sick. He knew it; he knew they were happy and probably happy that he was so _un_happy.

"Here you go mate" Alex told him nicely, he took the bowl and put it on the end table. "Are you ready to tell me you're name now mate?"

"No, and _why_ must you call me _Mate_?" Erik asked her with harshness in his voice. She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms.

"Well, without your name, I'll either have to call you a pig-headed arse, mate, or the biggest pain in my side." Her temper was flaring up again, and thus, his rebuttal had the same anger and irritation.

"Well I don't have to call you Alexandra" he barked at her. "I can call you a witch of a snake."

So, they fought again. They argued and argued until they began to forget everything they were saying. They fought and fought until Erik finally said something that really hit her too close to home.

"You heartless wench! You know nothing of sadness! You know nothing of the feeling of a lost love! You know_ nothing _about being unwanted!" He saw a look fall on her face that he hadn't seen before, in her eyes were tears, her face was white-er, and she looked absolutely ghostly for a moment.

"Fine, you win. You believe that, you can stay in a world where only you matter mate, because that's all you'll have left if you keep up that bloody attitude. That much is abso-bloody-lutely" and she swatted the bowl of soup off the end table, and watched it fall on the ground. "You clean it up." And she left the room. Angry, fuming, and hurt.


	6. Employment

**Employment**

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great._

* * *

While staying at Alexandra's house, Erik observed the routine that ran through the house. The summer days were full of heat and activity in the house, the summer nights were full of the uniform routine that resided within the house. 

Alex got the girls ready for bed by eight thirty, and they were in bed by nine. She would sing each one to sleep individually, and it became a hassle to get them all to bed at the same time.

Once the girls were asleep, Alex would go into her room to change into her nightgown, and then she would take a book off one of the shelves in her study, take it down to the living room and lay on the couch with the cat snuggled warmly between her chin and her shoulder, reading.

The husky pup would be allowed into the house at night, but more or less ignored the small black cat. Lena just went into the house and into the girls' room where she snuggled up to Chloe.

Almost every night was the same in the household, and one night, Erik went down to observe.

He saw Alex on the sofa with her cat snuggled up between her jaw and shoulder, and he saw a book in her hands. Her eyes were focused solely on the book, while her right hand stroked the sleeping cat's fur.

Never had Erik seen Alex wear her reading glasses, they fit her perfectly actually, and she looked quite comfortable. Not far from where she lay, a gramophone was softly playing ominous instrumental music, she had it turned down enough so it wouldn't wake anyone, but she could still enjoy it.

Erik could say at least one nice thing about Alex, she knew how to relax. And she looked relaxed. Erik was hidden well enough that she couldn't see him, even if she was looking.

As he quietly observed her, he saw she was not as angry or outspoken person that he'd made her out to be. She, like almost everyone, had a soft side. Fyfe had snuggled closer to her neck, and had completely fallen asleep while Alex was reading, and Erik saw her eyes close for a minute.

"She'll be apples Fyfe." Erik heard her say to the sleeping cat. "It ain't that big a deal really, I'm just overreacting. Well, even if I'm not; there ain't much I can do now is there?" The cat wasn't paying any attention at all, her tiny eyes were closed comfortably, and Erik saw the cat's dangling paw twitch a little. "That's right Fyfe, what's one more?" Erik wanted to know what she was talking about with her cat, but he knew it was none of his business. He was about to retreat to his room when he heard her speak. "I know you're there mate." He knew the jig was up, so he showed himself honorably. Fyfe felt movement where she slept, so she woke and jumped off Alex, and trotted to the other couch where she made herself comfortable. "What do you want?"

"Well…I'd been thinking about what I said a few weeks ago, and I just wanted to-to-to-" it wasn't hard, he knew it wasn't. Just two words: 'I apologize.'

"Just spit it out" He hesitated, he never had to apologize to anyone before, and so, he just simply said:

"I regret my actions." Those words were easy enough to say, regret was one he used a lot recently, actions was easy, and so were the bridge words he used to make it make sense. He saw that was enough for her, it wasn't the greatest apology in the world, but he had said it. "I-I just- before I came to Lille, I'd lost someone I loved and I'm not taking it well." Alex closed her book and motioned for him to come into the light. It was when he got into the light that he noticed how silky her nightgown was, and the way it complemented her black hair.

"I suppose that makes us mates, because I understand what it feels like to lose someone you love." Erik didn't want to anger her any further than he already did, he was tired of always being the cause of bad things happening. That was the kind of thing that got to a person after a while.

_Not like I have_ Erik thought, "really?" was what he said. Alex nodded, allowing some strands of hair to fall in front of her reading glasses.

"Yes, My husband Bernard- he left a week or two before you showed up." Erik couldn't think of the right way to say 'I don't care, can I go back to my room?' without pissing her off again. So he just asked what happened. "He screamed out some other woman's name while we were having sex. I kicked him out that night."

"That sounds reasonable enough." Erik agreed with her, finding her honesty about what happened very intriguing. "But is that what has you so upset?" She shook her head; he could tell that the real problem was bothersome to her.

"No." She simply said before going to the other sofa and lifting her small black cat off it.

"Well…what happened?" Erik asked once the silence had set in. Alex left for her room saying:

"That's a tale for another night."

* * *

The next day, the mornings started out just as they always did. Alex got up at six thirty, bathed, picked out a pretty white dress, put in her rosebud earrings, and then went downstairs to get breakfast started. 

She made Eggs, bacon, and pancakes, and that took a long time. When she got done, she went up stairs and tried to wake up her litter of girls, got their gowns ready for them to wear, and put the breakfast on the table.

_You'd best go get the poor twit for breakfast_ Alex told herself as she put the plates on the table, setting five places, with five glasses full of milk. As her girls dressed, Alex went up stairs to Erik's room and knocked on his bedroom door.

"Mate, breakfast time" Erik, honestly, was surprised to hear her telling him it was breakfast. She usually didn't tell him, she either brought it to him or ignored him completely.

He had slept in his clothes, and decided to go join them for breakfast. By the time he got there, the girls were barreling down to the kitchen, and Alex was just finishing getting the breakfast ready.

The breakfast was dead silent. The girls were still waking up, so they weren't social, and Alex couldn't think of anything to say. Erik however, was planning on just eating and heading back up to his room. Just as breakfast was half-done, Alex finally spoke up.

"So mate, what line of work were you in while you were in Paris?" Alex asked, snapping the tight silence wire. Erik lifted his eyes to meet her gaze, and then put it back down at the food.

"I was in a- managerial position at the opera house. I decided who played what role, and was responsible for its well-being." _Oh and I forgot to mention_ Erik added mentally._ I was the opera ghost that burnt it down. Maybe you've heard of me?_

"That sounds like a lot of work for one person, was it difficult?" Erik shook his head, all the while mentally laughing, saying: _Not until Andre and Firmin became the managers and didn't listen to me. Then it became a real __pain_

"Not really, but it had its moments." Alex seemed to believe that he was a good guy, and not just choosing words that sounded like he was a normal manager to describe his real position.

"Did it pay a lot?" Erik nodded.

"I got paid 20,000 francs a month. For my...services." _Which included: Not killing anyone, and basically just leaving everyone alone._ He was mentally having a blast with getting asked about his "Job" on the outside he appeared bitter an angry, but on the inside he was laughing it up.

"Wow" She breathed after she heard about the amount of money he made. "You can go pretty much anywhere you want can't you?" He shook his head.

"Not anymore, the opera house burnt down a while back; and took everything I owned with it." He saw a look fall on her face; it was a mix between sympathy and shock. "I kind of- lived there." _Under the opera house actually._

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you have anywhere to go?" Erik hesitantly shook his head, he hated to come off as a charity; he wasn't a charity, he would take care of himself. Even if he had to die in the process. But he was a little surprised when she didn't offer to house him; maybe she didn't have charity in mind.

But after breakfast, Erik realized he was wrong. Alex had asked him to stay behind while she washed the dishes so she could talk to him about something. He wanted to go back to his room and figure out a strategy, but he did. He stood a distance from her while she washed the dishes; and she spoke.

"Mate, I've got a bit of a proposition for you." Erik raised an eyebrow in interest before he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm in a bit of a cactus, you see; I'm the only one here who can take care of my girls, and I've got a lot of work I've got to get done. Not only that but I'm kind of- preggers." Erik raised an eyebrow, making Alex see that he didn't understand what she said. "Pregnant. I'm pregnant." He wasn't quite expecting that answer, and after she saw it, she saw him become even paler. "So I was thinking that I could rent you your room, and give you some work."

"What kind of work?" Erik asked icily, he hated being the beggar in the 'beggars can't be choosers' saying. He wanted to be the chooser, but he couldn't. He really was in no position to deny work; even though working _for_ someone who had a choice in his employment didn't set well with him.

"Odd jobs actually. Watching the girls, helping with the housework, that kind of thing." Erik's eyes ignited with fire, he knew he was in no position to deny work, but he didn't want to do that kind of work.

"I'm _not_ a nanny" He hissed at her.

"It's not a nanny job Mate, They're odd jobs. Those were just the jobs I'll need right away."

"So basically you want me to run your errands for you?" He snapped again, he wasn't a errand boy either.

"Basically, but for 25 francs an hour, a room, and our food. To me it sounds like a good deal for anyone who doesn't have any other options. I expect rent for the room, and for you to pay the utilities that you use and food that you eat." She saw a smug grow on his face as he simply said:

"If _you're_ paying me, and I have to pay rent and for what I use in _your_ house, won't it be easier for you to just let me stay here for free?" He was given a very dirty look, before she shook her head.

"Not if you ever plan on going anywhere. This is your work mate, it might seem redundant to me to pay you so you can pay me back, but that's how it goes. If you want to sleep in the streets and get turned down for other jobs because of that mask of yours, you go ahead mate. It makes no difference to me. You better hurry and decide before I change me mind all together." Erik winced when she made that good point, he would be otherwise screwed if he denied the job offered to him by her. He would starve himself to death, and even though that _sounded_ good; he knew it would be a dreadfully painful process. He wanted a quick, painless death. After she put the dishes away in the cabinets, and was heading into the playroom to supervise the girls, she stopped and said: "Think it over, but don't take too long. I need someone to start ASAP."

**

* * *

Yeah, I thought it would be pretty interesting for Erik to earn his keep. Besides, Alex wouldn't let him be a freeloader.**

Thanks to my new reveiwers :D You guyz rock!


	7. All in a day's work

**All in a day's work**

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great._

* * *

He could feel the hot tears streaming down his face as he slept; seeping passed his eyelids and descending along his cheeks; sliding over to his nose and dripping off it, landing on his pillow. 

Her face haunted him, her flawless white face and thick hair taunted him with visions of what he lost, and her voice- the voice _he'd_ molded and made into something special- echoed in his ears.

Why was everything so hard for him? It was as if god intended for Erik to have a horrible; unimaginably hard life. He knew why he hated the vicomte, but he knew it was more than just because he took Christine from him.

It was because Erik had to fight for everything he had. He had to work his fingers to the bone to sculpt a home for himself, and he had to fight to earn Christine's love. He even fought to steal her back. He was the kind of person who was always fighting, even though it's hard.

The night Christine left him flashed before his subconscious mind, bringing him to tears. He would have kept sobbing into his pillow over the memory of his lost love, had he not been shaken awake by Alex.

"Jesus mate!" she quietly whispered to him, making Erik realize that he'd been crying quite loudly. "If you keep screaming like that, you're going to wake the girls. Now what are you screaming about?"

"I had a bad dream, that's all." He told her quickly, using his wrist to wipe away the tears on his face, and mentally swearing at himself for being so damned loud.

"Certainly was, I could hear you all the way in my room." She was quiet before she stood up and told him to wait. "I've got something that might help." He watched as she left the room, and was gone for a few minutes. She came back carrying a tiny glass container full of rose petals, sandalwood, cedar wood, ground slspice, crushed cinnamon sticks, jasmine, lavender, sweet William, lily of the valley, wisteria vine, and orris root. "Here you go, this potpourri will give you good dreams. The girls have one in their rooms, and I've got one in mine."

"Potpourri will help my dreams?" He asked sarcastically, it seemed dumb to him that potpourri would help, because he was so sure it wouldn't.

"Just try it, and tell me if it works." Erik watched her leave, and shut the door behind her.

_This won't work_ Erik thought to himself as he lay back down on the bed, the smell of the potpourri filling his nostrils. _She's lost her mind There is no way for Potpourri to help me have good dreams. Nothing in heaven or hell will allow me to have good dreams. I haven't had a good dream in years… …Potpourri…won't…help…_ He was out like a light, and to his surprise, his dreams were no longer plagued with Christine's image, and the memory of the night he lost everything.

That fact surprised him when he woke up the next morning, and he was strangely refreshed. He'd slept very well after Alex put the potpourri in his room, but he was convinced it was a coincidence.

He saw Alex repeating the morning routine that she'd done the day she offered Erik the job, except that day she wore a pretty light blue gown, and her long hair had a white ribbon in it.

"Good morning mate" Alex said to him cheerfully as she finished filling the glasses with milk. "Did the Potpourri help?"

"Well, I didn't have any nightmares. But it's just a coincidence." He saw Alex smirk at him and simply say:

"Think what you will, but it was the potpourri that helped." She paused for a moment, and then spoke again. "So what do you say about my job offer?"

"I suppose I need it. So, I'll take it."

"Good. I'll overlook first months and last month's rent, I'll need you to pick up a cheesecake I ordered from town, I need you to stop over at my friends Amy and Lila's houses and tell them that they can come over about seven, and I'll need to know your _name_" Erik was surprised on how quickly she gave him some errands to run. It was almost like she couldn't wait to give him something to do around her house.

"My name…" Erik hesitated, before simply saying: "…Is Erik."

"Alright Erik." He was still bitter about being an employee. He was starting to think being the Phantom wasn't so bad after all.

He sat down to breakfast with Alex and her daughters, very bitter about having to do odd jobs for Alex in order to keep himself from dying.

_Oh well._ His mind told him as he stabbed the fork through the egg and put it in his mouth. _No point in getting angry. At least you won't have to run like an animal anymore. Besides, Alex is nice enough; she's not cocky or self-absorbed. It could get worse; you could be working for La Carlotta._ The mere idea made him shiver.

After breakfast, Alex brought a notepad into the kitchen, and wrote on it. "I've got one more request before you begin your first day's work" Erik Listened, remembering that it would be worse working for Carlotta."Call me Alex."

"You said only your friends call you Alex" He said to her as he watched her grab a piece of paper and scribble down her friends' addresses.

"I know." She tore it off the pad and handed it to him. "Don't forget the cheesecake Erik." He took the piece of paper, and put it in his overcoat. All the while wondering why Alex wanted him to call her 'Alex' when only her friends did. "OK, it's a bit of a way into town, so you'll want to take one of the horses."

"You've got horses too?" Erik asked sarcastically as he followed her out of the mansion and to the horse stables.

"Bernard Insisted on it." She turned around to she faced him, while walking backwards. Her voice got very deep; she was mocking her ex-husband. "I won't be walking into town every blasted day to work. You can if you want to Alex, but I won't." Erik didn't laugh or smile, even though he found her attempt at mocking her ex entertaining. It wasn't until she stepped on the hem of her dress and fell backwards that she saw a smile threaten his face. It tugged at both corners of his mouth, and she could _almost_ see his teeth. "I suspect you enjoyed that"

"Quite actually." He replied gently, he saw her smile back at him.

"You probably saw my undies." Erik made a 'well yes' face, and expected Alex to smack him like other women would have in that situation; but she didn't, she just laughed and asked if he enjoyed the sight.

She escorted him into the stables, where they only had three horses. A black one, a white one, and a brown and white spotted one.

"Take your pick, any one of 'em will do." Erik looked at the three horses, and already decided he wouldn't pick the white one. Raoul rode a white horse to save Christine at the cemetery, since then he hadn't been too fond of the color white. So he picked the black one.

"I had a horse like this one once." Erik told her as she unlocked the stall and allowed him to lead the horse out. "It died though." He put the saddle on the horses back, and climbed up on it.

"Aw, I'm sorry." Alex said as she walked beside the horse and Erik outside the stable. "Remember, cheesecake."

"I've got it." He assured her with a hint of irritation in his voice. He wasn't a bloody moron, he remembered the cheesecake, and wouldn't forget it. Before he left, he saw Alex had her hand on the horse's neck, looking at Erik.

"Don't hurt yourself OK? I'm still pregnant and I can't handle three girls and a fetus all by me onesies." Erik nodded at her, watched her slide her hand away from the horse, and then he rode off.

_That was a strange thing for her to say._ Erik thought as the horse trotted down the hill where Alex lived, and towards the road that lead into town. _But I suppose it makes sense. She was only pregnant once before, and she had a husband then. _

He got into town, and immediately got off the horse so he could secure it to the entrance to the town and forest (Depending on where you're coming from). Once it was secure, he decided to start with the blasted cheesecake.

The baker wasn't so sure about giving the cake to Erik, but Erik had convinced him that he was running errands for Alex. Hesitantly, the baker handed over the box with the cheesecake in it, and Erik gave him the money Alex gave him to pay the baker.

Next was finding 'Amy' and 'Lila'. Alex had written their addresses down on the piece of paper, so he was able to find them fairly easily. He was just glad they weren't running errands like he was; he'd never have found them.

First he went to Amy, who- when she opened the door- he saw was a pretty blond girl with freckles on her face and round glasses on the bridge of her nose. But unlike Alex- who only needed glasses to read- Amy needed them to see.

"Hello?" She answered with uncertainty in her voice. Half-way thinking that Erik was a crazy guy come to steal her belongings. But no, he was just a regular crazy guy (:D)

"Hello, I'm um- running Errands for your friend Alex; and she said you can go to her house around seven." He just recited what Alex told him to tell her. Even though Amy thought it was odd, she just nodded with a smile.

"OK, thank you for telling me; tell her I'll bring the cards." Erik nodded, and after Amy thanked him again, he left to search for Lila.

She was at home just like Amy was, with a baby on one breast, and a six year old whining at her ankles. Lila was a redhead with green eyes and no glasses. She was just as hostile to Erik as Amy was, but she was snapping at her six year old for whining.

Erik recited what he'd said to Amy, feeling a little like a broken gramophone. Lila only thanked him once though, because she was too occupied with scolding her six year old.

He was actually glad to get back to Alex's house; it was a lot calmer there. Alex was playing with her girls when Erik got back, and gave her the cheesecake he got.

"Thanks Erik" Alex said with a smile as she took the cheesecake into the kitchen to put it in the icebox. "Tonight is poker night, so I need you to watch the girls." Erik nodded, and she could hear him mumbling:

"I hope Lila doesn't bring her child over."

"I know." Erik stopped in his tracks, surprised that Alex had heard him. "He's a pain; the girls don't like Chuck either. Little pervert he is." Erik whipped around and gave her a 'you can't be serious!' look.

"A _six_ year old?"

"Yep, I caught him look-in' up Chloe's skirt a year ago." He saw Alex smile, and snicker a little. "Chuck takes after his father really." Alex turned to Erik, and simply said: "I'll let you know when the girls need you, and after my friends leave, I'll pay you." He nodded and went off to his room, and tried to entertain himself until Alex's friends came over.

**

* * *

I read the potpourri thing on a website about magic stuff. So I figured I'd throw it in there**


	8. Poker Night

**Poker Night**

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great._

* * *

Lila and Amy came over at seven just as they were told to, and Erik stayed with Chloe, Ella, and Sophie in the playroom. He didn't watch them _exactly_; he just stayed in the room with them and read. 

But Alex and her friends took over the dining room, where they gossiped, played Poker, and ate cheesecake.

They didn't play for money, but more- candies and while they played, they gossiped.

"So we met your new errand boy." Amy joked with Alex as she looked at her playing cards. "He's cute. How'd you come by him?"

"He was passed out in the forest and I took him home." Alex replied matter-of-factly before she put the fork full of cheesecake into her mouth. Lila snickered.

"You make it sound like he's a litter of kittens! But that point aside, he's really _attractive_!" Alex snickered along with Amy, and knew that Erik was very attractive. At least, the part of his face that was showing was. "And that mask makes him look mysterious and dangerous. But the way he's so timid around people is adorable, you're lucky to be _alone_ with him."

"Get your mind out of the gutter Lila" Alex snapped with her eyes narrowed at her, and a dirty look on her face. "Erik is just working for me until he can afford to move out. He's nothing more than my employee." Amy saw a wide smile spread on Lila's face.

"Well, I could think of a job I'd like him to do." Lila joked, making Amy laugh and Alex's face turn red. "If you could choose something about Erik that you like, what would it be?"

"Personally, I like his face." Amy piped up, folding. "It's so elegant and refined!"

"I like his hair." Lila added, putting a peppermint into the pot. "Normally I don't like guys with long hair, but Erik makes it work." Both Amy and Lila looked at Alex, who was putting a solid caramel candy into the pot. "Well Alex? Tell us what you like about Erik." She hesitated, and then a wide grin spread on her face.

"I like…" She paused to think, but her friends knew she already knew what she liked about Erik. "…the way he looked when I walked in on him in the bathtub." The girls erupted in mad giggles, and demanded that she tell them the story.

* * *

Erik was reading while the girls played with their dolls, and all the while his mind was reeling with questions. Most of them where what the girls were talking about. 

He never had an experience with female poker nights before, but he figured they were gossiping. That's what the ballet girls did when they got together anyway, and that was all he had to go on.

Chloe and her sisters all surrounded the chair he was sitting in, making him look up from his book and at them.

"Do you want to know what momma is talking about with her friends?" Chloe asked, her voice sounded devious and cunning. Erik liked that about her. He gave her a sly look before replying.

"...What do you have in mind?" She smiled mischievously.

"Nothing much, we help you spy, if you get us candy. We want a piece of chocolate each, do we have a deal?" Chloe stuck out her hand for him to shake if he agreed, and after considering it; he did.

Erik followed the girls out of the play room and to the dining room where their mother was. He saw Chloe put a finger up to her lips as he put his ear against the door so he could hear.

"…and the way his shoulders aren't too far apart, I find that very attractive." Alex said to her friends, Erik didn't know if she was talking about him or someone else. It could just as easily be someone else.

"Leave it to someone in your line of work to notice something like that." Amy replied to her friend, making Erik wonder what line of work Alex was in.

"And you had a point about his face Amy" Lila piped up. "It is very attractive." Erik felt a little disappointed, that fact alone that they liked the man's face proved it wasn't him, _he_ had a hideous face. "Well anyway, how far along are you Alex?"

"Not very, It's still in the conception stage, I'm really not sure what to do." Erik raised an eyebrow at what she said; knowing she couldn't be talking about her pregnancy, because she was probably _well_ passed conception. "Do you guys want any tea?"

"Yeah"

"Sure"

Erik made an 'oh shit!' face before he made a mad dash back to the playroom, where the girls were innocently playing. So it would look like Erik just abandoned them in the room all by themselves to spy on their mother. All three of them shot their heads towards the door when Erik came back, and he gave them a dirty look.

"You girls are cunning, devious little nightmares." He said to them coldly, making them smile proudly. But then, his face lightened, and with a tiny smirk, he said: "We're going to get along _great_." Chloe lifted herself off the floor, and went to Erik, and reached her hand to him, her palm open. "…what?"

"You promised us candy. We held up our end of the deal." Smirking, Erik simply said:

"You should have asked for your part first." The girls didn't take it well, Chloe looked at her sisters, nodded, and before Erik could react, Ella and Sophie were off the floor and clutched onto his legs, making it hard for him to walk. Chloe jumped up and grabbed his arm, and because her sisters were on his legs, it made it hard for him to balance, and he fell backwards when she pulled Ella and Sophie let his legs go with enough time to sit on his stomach with their sister, and refuse to let him up. "That's not fair! Three against one!" Erik wanted to sit up, but the three of them all together were too heavy. When they crossed their legs he knew they weren't going to move any time soon.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked with the cups of tea in her hands, Erik lifted his head to see Alex with an eyebrow raised, and looking at her daughters sitting on their baby-sitter.

"Playing" The three girls sweetly chimed in unison. Making them sound like little angels, but Erik knew better. Alex smiled and went back into the dining room to give her friends their tea.

"OK, OK girls, if you get off me I'll get your chocolates." They were starting to crush his organs with their combined weight. If it was just one of them he'd be able to lay there for a while, but all _three_ of them were really painful.

"Well girls?" Chloe asked, looking at her two sisters, who had their arms crossed.

"Nu-uh!" they answered in unison, shaking their heads. Chloe smiled at Erik and sweetly replied.

"I tried." While she shrugged her shoulders like she tried hard.

Erik remained with the three girls sitting on him until Alex got them off, Amy and Lila were on their way out and when they saw Erik, they giggled and left. Alex snickered at them and told the girls it was passed their bedtime. Then she helped Erik up. The girls scurried off to their rooms as their mother was paying Erik.

"I had a feeling you four weren't playing." Alex said as she counted the money she owed him.

"Then _why_ didn't you help?" Erik asked as he watched her take the coins out of her little coin purse. Alex grinned and put the money out on the counter.

"I like to bother you." She said before going to tuck the girls in.

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**XD This one was fun! I liked the way the girls ganged up on him. **


	9. Some time in the Dark

**Some time in the dark**

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great._

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Something Erik liked about Alex's house at night was the fact that the moon could shine so clearly through Erik's window. He couldn't ever see the moon in the opera house, and it was such a nice change. He almost forgot how pretty the moon was. 

It was one night about a week and one poker night later that Erik decided that he wanted to stretch his legs. Sure; he got enough exercise trying to keep up with Alex's three little nightmares, but there was something about the night that made him want to walk.

He exited his room, and while at the foot of the stairs, he could hear a lot of clicking going on from Alex's study. He ascended the stairs and quietly opened Alex's study door. The door's creek was what caught her attention.

She had her reading glasses on the bridge of her nose, and her hair pushed back behind her ears. Upon hearing the creaking of the door, she turned and saw Erik standing in the doorway.

"Hello" She greeted quietly, letting him come in. "did you have another nightmare?" Erik shook his head, and looked around her office as if she'd told him he could.

"Why do you have awards with Cael Maitland's name on them?" He asked, looking at the literary awards Cael Maitland won, best seller awards, and others that she had hung on the walls.

"Because I wrote Cael Maitland's books." She told him plainly. "I'm Cael Maitland." Erik turned to face her, and saw she had a smile on her face. "I'll be up a while, do you want some tea?"

"Sure" Erik replied, following Alex as she went down to the kitchen to boil them some peppermint tea. As it was boiling, Erik asked the questions he had about her awards, and about the fact that she was Cael Maitland. "Why'd you write under a male name?"

"Because no one would seriously read it when I submitted it with my name. They just laughed, make a sexual joke or two, and rejected it. So I re-submitted it with a new name, and because they thought it was a man, they read it." She answered him plainly while leaning on the counter by the stove, watching the tea bags bubble in the tea pot. "At first it made unhappy that I wasn't getting any credit. But after a while I realized that it's just easier that way. I get the money, and the joy of writing the books, so why complain?"

"So, you don't _want_ to be famous?" Erik asked; knowing that if he ever got a chance to be famous like that, he sure as hell would take the opportunity.

"I'm not saying that. If someone decides to let a woman write a book, I'll be the first to submit one under my real name. But until then, I'm happy being Cael Maitland." Erik nodded, knowing how she felt. He had to live his dream of being famous through Christine (In a way.). God he missed her. "Besides, people love Cael Maitland's books. You said it yourself. Tell me, what do you like best?" Erik had to think, there were a lot of things he liked about Cael- or- Alex's books. So, he just picked the one that came into his mind first.

"The way the characters seem so real, how- just about anyone could relate to them." Alex gave him a tiny smile before pouring herself and him a cup of tea, and sitting with him at the dining table. "They're actually what kept me company at the opera house."

"Was you're job lonely?" Alex asked, making Erik quickly remember that he lied about his job.

"Yeah, you could say that." He quickly said before taking a drink of peppermint tea. "So, what are you writing now?" Within the candle that Alex had lit, Erik could see a solemn look fall over her face. She shook her head and quietly said:

"I'm not." Erik didn't know what to say to her at that point, so he just put the cup of tea up to his lips and pretended like that was why he didn't say anything. "I haven't been able to write for a while." Erik gave her a look that just basically said 'I'm listening'. But she didn't know what exactly to say, so, she changed the subject. "You told me a little ways back that you lost someone you loved. Tell me about her." Erik didn't know if he could, he hated talking about Christine as much as he hated thinking about her.

_Remember Erik_ his mind piped up. _She's had her heart broken too. _

He wasn't sure if what he was doing was right, but he told her about Christine. But he didn't say 'Christine' exactly, he made it fit with the story he told her about his job; so he was basically telling half-truths the entire time.

Alex was actually nicer about it than he thought she'd be. She didn't pity him or give him sympathy, she just simply said: "Nice guys finish last I suppose." And went to get a piece of bread to eat with her tea. "Do you want any bread?"

"No thanks." Erik said, and took a drink from his tea. When she returned, after Erik took a drink, he asked her about her husband.

"Bernard was an editor actually. He helped me to get my first novel published when I was eighteen and we were newlyweds; but when he tried to get his novel published; it didn't. He got rejection letters saying that it wasn't 'imaginative' or 'witty' enough.

I wanted his novel to get published, and I helped him when he needed it; but it didn't help. I guess he became insecure that I was earning more money than he was. He wanted the limelight, and kept forgetting that it was about the _art_ in his writing." He saw that sad look fall over her face again as she paused to pour herself another cup of tea, and eat the bread. "I guess I should have expected him of having an affair. I mean- I was always gone up in my head, and he didn't think he was as important as me. I had no idea of the affair until he screamed 'Daisy!' while we were having sex.

I don't know why I didn't see it coming. I _should_ have, but I didn't." Erik saw she was getting depressed, and he kept trying to break in and stop her before she made herself cry, but she just kept talking. "It wasn't until after he left that I realized I was pregnant. I swear- I did _everything_ I could to prevent it but I didn't." Through the dim light the candle made, he could see her eyes simmered with tears covering her eyes, and she was trying to keep them behind her eyes. He wanted to say something comforting like: 'I bet he was a jerk anyway' or 'you can do better than that Alex, there are tons of guys in Lille alone that will be lining up at your door.' But somehow he didn't. "Oh well, she'll be apples." She paused for a moment, and then spoke again. "She'll be apples for both of us." Erik nodded, even though he_ still_ didn't know what that meant.

"I want to ask you something else." Erik said half-icily, even though he _wanted_ it to sound colder, it just didn't. "How'd you come across me when I fainted?"

"I was taking a walk and saw you pass out. You had a high fever, and I took you in. My papa taught me to always go out of my way to help people. Even if I don't know who they are."

"You're father sounds like he's good man." Erik replied. It was a light conversation until Alex added:

"He_ was_ a good man. He died two years ago." Erik hesitated, and then asked how. But he became even more confused when Alex got a smile on her face. "He was murdered." He had a shocked expression on his face; Alex shook her head at him with a smile. "I was _kidding_. He didn't get murdered; he had a heart-attack." With a wide smile, he saw her jump up from the table and go into the living room. He watched her return within moments, and when she sat down, she said to him: "I forgot! Bryan's coming in a few days, I can't wait for Bryan to get here he is so much fun." She seemed to be off in a world of her own at that point. Erik had to ask who Bryan was.

"Who's Bryan?" Erik asked, watching as a bigger, more amused smile came onto Alex's thin lips.

"You'll see in a few days when he gets here. You'll _never_ forget him when he comes. Life is always so much more enjoyable when Bryan is here." She was giddy at the fact that Bryan was coming, whoever Bryan was. Erik just watched as she handed him the letter Bryan wrote her, and he read it.

_Dear Alexie,_ the letter began. _I'm Happy as Larry about the new baby, and you can bet your ass I'll be back down there to help out. I'll stay as long as you need me to Alexie, Now don't tell my girls that I'm coming; I want it to be a surprise._

_I want to tell you about my time here in London, but I'm going to wait until I see you. Jesus- what would it be like- six months? I miss you greatly Alexie, and I brought souvenirs for you and the girls._

_I'll try not to be high as a kite when I get there._

_Bryan_

"Alexie?" Erik asked, he thought that her friends called her 'Alex' but Bryan had called her 'Alexie'.

"Bryan's name for me. No one else calls me Alexie; he's been calling me that since we were babes."

_Wonderful_ Erik thought as Alex went on and on about Bryan. _Another girl with a childhood lover. _

Alex brought her delicate little tea cup up to her lips and drank it like it was a beer tankard and put it back on the table. "Well, I'm heading back up stairs to attempt to work." Erik quickly finished his tea and went to put it in the sink along with Alex. They went to the stairs together, and just as Erik went into his room, and just as Alex went up the stairs, she quietly said "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He replied, but she spoke again.

"…thanks for listening…I was thinking that maybe…we could try to be friendlier to eachother.." Erik paused in his tracks and looked at her. But she started to cover up her sentence quickly. "I-I mean I don't have the energy to fight you with the baby and all, and because you're living here, I figured we might as well get along." Erik watched her a moment, before nodding his head.

"That sounds fine to me." He turned his back to the door, and- for a change- said nicely to her "You're odd, you're obviously very creative, and you're a good woman. Probably more than I deserve in a companion but, I'd be happy to be your friend." Alex nodded and with a smile, said:

"Good." And the two parted ways to spend the night in their own rooms.

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**I dunno; the rest of the story kinda needs them to be friends for it to work. And _BRYAN _OMG he's so kewl. They're still going to fight, but it's going to be good-natured static.**


	10. Bryan!

**Bryan!**

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great._

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The summer had begun to fade away; and Alex was beginning to show, but just barely. In fact, she hardly looked pregnant at all. Especially under her dresses, this seemed to cover most of her pregnancy. Her girls already figured out she was having another baby, and Erik was actually good help around the house. 

When he had to pay his first rent, he was on time, and paid it in full. She didn't have to ask him where the utilities payment was, and as for the tea he had that one night; it was on Alex.

She was actually surprised that he was so on time. He got the payment to her on the very first day of September. Not only that but once he'd apologized to the girls for cheating them on their deal, they'd grown attached to him.

He supervised their music lessons, and apparently his work at the opera gave him the ability to give them singing, piano, violin, and flute lessons.

Erik was a hard worker, even if he didn't like his job. He did his best at it; even if it meant having to help Alex keep the house clean, but that was an easy enough job, since she usually cleaned up after herself anyway.

In fact, if Alex was quiet enough while Erik was working; she could almost catch him _enjoying_ his work. That was a rare sight if anyone was around to see him.

One twilight, while Alex was sitting in the play room with the girls, and Erik was reading another one of her books in a chair not far from them; they heard a voice from the living room.

"Alright! Where is everyone?" Everyone's heads shot up from what they were doing, and all went to see who it was, with Erik leading the way incase it was a serial killer. But when they saw who it was, everyone but Erik ran to him and gave him a hug.

"BRYAN!" they all giggled in unison. The man was scrawny and had short brown hair that looked a little fluffed, and shining green eyes. He also looked like he'd been drunk off something recently. He had an acoustic guitar strapped to his back and a big bag around his left shoulder, and dangling off his right hip.

"Alright my loves! Look at you all!" Once he'd released the girls, he noticed Erik looking like he wished he knew what was going on. Bryan had a strong English accent, so he wasn't originally from Australia like Alex was. "Who's the bloke?"

"That's Erik." Alex said to him, standing back so she could introduce them to each other. "Erik, this is Bryan."

"Hello Erik! I've heard almost nothing about you; but you look like a fun bloke." Bryan said with a grin, extending his hand to shake Erik's.

"On the contrary, Alex has told me loads about you Bryan." Erik shook his hand, and watched as the girls fussed over Bryan.

"Now let's see what I've got here in my bag for my girls." Bryan said with a grin, setting his acoustic guitar on the sofa, and reaching into his bag. He pulled out a necklace with a rose on it for Chloe, A porcline doll for Ella, a silk gown for Sophie, and a music box shaped like a cathedral with a real working clock above the door arch for Alex. "I'd have brought something for our friend, but I didn't know he was here."

"It's fine, I don't need anything." Erik assured him as the girls looked over their gifts with happiness.

"Where'd you find him Alexie?"

"He was sick and I brought him here to take care of him." Erik saw an amused smile come across Bryan's face as he proudly turned to Erik and said:

"Alexie always seems to bring stray things home." Bryan told Erik as the girls awed over their gifts. "When we were little kids, she'd bring home stray cats, dogs, birds, and one time she managed to bring home a squirrel. No one has yet figured how. But this is the first time I've ever heard of her bringing a stray _man_ home."

"You two must have been good friends." Erik said, trying to hide the fact that he was kind of disappointed that Bryan was Alex's childhood sweetheart. Bryan nodded with a big grin on his face.

"We were the best of! When her pa married my ma we took to being step-siblings real quick." Erik had a stunned expression on his face, as if the two being steps astonished him in some way. "What?"

"I didn't know you were step-siblings. By the way Alex talked about you; I assumed you were her childhood boyfriend." Both Alex and Bryan gave Erik an 'I can't believe you said that' look, before looking at each other, then bursting out into mad laughter, making Erik's face turn pink from embarrassment.

"You thought I was Alex's boyfriend?!" Bryan managed to say between hard laughs. "No way! We're only step-siblings you bloke! Jesus- I work to keep Alex _away _from men like me!"

"Uncle Bryan! When are we going to have the camp fire?" Chloe chimed in, ignoring the fact that Bryan and Alex were laughing at Erik for thinking they were lovers. Bryan returned his look to Chloe, and then ruffled her hair with a smile.

"We'll have it tomorrow night; there ain't enough time to get it ready tonight." The triplets all went 'aww' in unison, sadness and disappointment in their voices.

"Do you promise it'll be tomorrow?" Sophie asked her mother and uncle, who both nodded.

"We promise." Alex answered for them, watching her step-brother ruffle her hair. They all watched Bryan rise from his spot in the living room, and hold up his bag.

"Who wants to help uncle Bryan get unpacked?" All of Alex's daughters shouted

"ME!" in unison, and went to help their uncle unpack in the room Alex always kept reserved for him. Leaving Erik dumbfounded and confused about what had just occurred.

"Isn't Bryan the best?" Alex asked once Bryan had heard her girls out of the living room to give him help unpacking his things.

"He's certainly…peculiar." Erik said uneasily, finding Bryan less like the best, and more like he was a few lights short of a chandelier. Alex seemed ecstatic about having her step-brother there with her. It almost made Erik wonder if he would still have a job.

"He's a bit strange I admit, but he's a wonderful brother and is so good to my girls." She paused a moment before continuing on. "I'd better go make sure they don't get too crazed before bedtime. See you Erik." And she went to her brother's room to help him unpack his things.

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**XD I love Bryan. Anyway, I based him off of Mason from Dead like me, so if you want to get a picture of him in your brain, search up the character and you'll find it.**


	11. Campfire

**Campfire**

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great._

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During the day that everyone was getting ready for the camp fire, Erik was given the day off by Alex. The day wasn't scorching hot, but it was hot enough that the girls asked if they could go to the lake, but Alex wouldn't let them. 

Bryan helped his nieces to build a fire pit for them to ignite after sunset; they were giggling among themselves about the night, and talking with their uncle about Erik, their mother's new baby, and other things.

All the while, Erik was in his room tapping what sounded like the tune to an opera on a desk that was in the room, he was dreadfully bored in his room. He wanted to be apart of the whole event in the Turner mansion, but he was only a tenant, there wasn't much reason for him to be a part of it.

He could still smell the potpourri that Alex gave him a while back, and besides the fact that every night since she gave it to him, he's had good dreams; it also smelled very nice, and he was actually glad he kept it in his room.

Erik could have used Alex's knowledge of potpourri that helps dreams back when he was a child; because that was when the nightmares bothered him the most. That was when he thought of them as normal bad dreams that normal kids have. But of course, he knew he wasn't normal. His mother _never_ let him forget that little factor.

In fact, he'd been quietly observing Alex while she mothered her girls, and found himself wishing he had a mother like her growing up. A mother who fussed over the tiniest little cut, who sat up with him when he had a nightmare (and gave him some potpourri to help.), and who just- loved him.

Maybe he'd have a better life if he had a mother who loved him; maybe he wouldn't be so bitter, so angry, or so vengeful.

_I guess that's why I can't ever love anyone._ Erik thought as he tapped the second act to his opera on the desk. _Because I wasn't loved._

"Damn it!" he heard Alex yelling outside his door, except it was more towards the kitchen. Upon hearing Alex's yelling, he forgot where he was in his opera, and became agitated at that. He rose from the chair beside the desk, and went to the kitchen to see what she was doing.

Alex was standing in front of a counter with a bowl in her hand, from where he was standing; he could see white splatters of something all over the counters, and some on the cabinets above where she was.

He came up behind her, curious about what she was doing, and found she was mixing something together. Something that- to him- didn't look like he should eat. It was white and goopy, and Alex was intent on mixing it.

The sink was filled with dirty bowls that were full of the same substance, and he saw an open bag of sugar beside the bowl Alex was mixing.

"What are you making?" Erik asked curiously, trying to look over her shoulder and into the bowl; but even though he could see what was in the bowl, he still didn't know what it_ was_.

"Marshmallow treats." Alex answered as she stirred the concoction with great speed. Erik could figure her arm was hurting from the mixing; because the 'treats' looked thick. "We always have them when Bryan comes to visit. He makes the fire pit, I make the marshmallow treats, and he plays his guitar." Erik nodded, showing that he understood what Alex was talking about. It sounded like good wholesome family fun, and he had no right to infringe on them. Alex grabbed Erik's arm and pulled him over to the marshmallow treats, and put his finger in the goop. "Taste it, I need to know if I got it right?"

"…and if you didn't…?" Erik asked uneasily, he's had her cooking before, and simply it's not all that great. This required _mixing_, and he always assumed that she caught things on fire when she tried to mix without her daughters' help.

"Then I suggest you start running for the bathroom." She was so honest about what he should expect that it made him a little perturbed as she plucked his finger into his mouth. "Is it good?"

"…" He took his finger out, and let the food set on his palate a while, he couldn't quite tell at the first taste. He waited so long that Alex became frustrated with waiting for him. "…I-I-It's…." He had a sickly face, which caused Alex's face to fall. She'd tried so hard…so hard and it turned out "…Tasty."

"God damn it! I tried so hard and- wait- what did you say?" Erik saw that Alex was dumbfounded at finally getting it right, after hours of trying over and over to get it right.

"It's good." Erik said, "Completely edible."

"Oh- well- good." Alex said; Erik could hear the surprise in her voice from finally getting it right. "Thanks" Erik nodded and returned to his room after Alex was finished testing her treats on him, and it wasn't until he got back into his room that he remembered that there was nothing to do in his room.

While he sat in his room, he decided to start another tapping opera, just to pass the time until he went to sleep.

He was right around the fourth act, second scene when he heard a knock at his door. Once again he lost track of his opera, and that was starting to become an annoyance.

"Erik?" It was Alex's voice, and deep, deep within him, he was glad it was. But more to the surface, he was surprised. Right around that time she should have been with her children and brother at their little campfire. "Erik, are you coming?"

"…what?"

"We're about to start, are you coming or not?" Erik blinked and surprised, and morbidly replied:

"I didn't know I could."

"Of course you can! Erik, we all want you there; now come on before the girls and Bryan eat all of the treats I made."

Erik followed Alex out to the back of the house, where the fire pit was. It was crackling in the sky, sending off exceptional heat and warming all the people sitting by it. They all sat in a circle around the fire, and Alex was across from Erik with the girls in between them.

Bryan began to play his guitar once the sun had completely set, and everyone but him were eating the marshmallow treats Alex made for them, and listening to his music.

It was a hypnotic tune, but not so much haunting. It was a light tune, something almost cheery, and it more than definantly kept its listeners listening.

However, Erik wasn't listening to the music. Well- he was, but not intently. In the corner of his eye as Bryan hit the second bar in his music, Erik saw Alex.

Half her face was highlighted by the camp fire, and seemed to look more- radiant that she normally did. Maybe it was the light on her face against the black backdrop; whatever the reason, it caught Erik's eye.

And he thought she looked pretty.

Almost immediately; he pushed the thought into the back of his mind, and focused on the music. Unfortunately he still had the lingering memory of thinking about Alex, when he knew full well that he wasn't capable of being with anyone.

It wasn't like Alex hadn't noticed Erik too; his unmasked half of his face seemed so different in the dark. When she noticed; it was like a 'ping' went off inside her. But- just like Erik had- she pushed it into the back of her mind as her step-brother played his guitar.

Both of them would have probably been more open to their sudden thoughts, but they were both so unlucky in that department that they didn't want to do it again. No matter how good it would be for the two of them, they ignored it completely. Because there was always that chance that it wouldn't work, and they would both be hurt twice; and that was just something they weren't willing to do.

As the night began to fade away, and as the girls fell asleep; the three adults each carried one girl in, and put them in the appropriate bedroom. From there the adults split up to do their own thing, Erik went into his room, Alex went to her study to attempt to work, and Bryan went to take a bath.

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**n.n all the reviewers thus far are so AWSOME I luv u guyz!**


	12. Baby!

**Baby!**

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great._

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Every day from then on was the normal routine. Wake up, eat, go off and do own thing, have dinner, off to do own thing, sleep, rinse, and repeat. So much so that it became a mundane ritual of "I'll do my thing and you do yours". Even though there were very rare occasions when the entire house was in the same room at the same time. 

Erik mostly stayed in his room. He felt like he was becoming too attached to Alex and her brood, and he had to constantly remind himself that he wasn't staying to get close to someone, he was staying until he could afford to leave. He was too close to them, and he felt he needed to get away.

Since then he declined all invitations to join them in their family activities, even when Alex asked him nicely to join them; he said no.

He wasn't going to put himself up again to be hurt, that was a road he wasn't taking again, and because he thought this way, he'd pissed Alex off in the process.

Since he started to purposely exclude himself from her projects, she made it her job to stop asking. He actually began to wonder where she was when she and the family just took off for the day; leaving him all alone.

It was mostly the silent treatment. When he did come out of his room and ask her about her baby (He was worried he'd be alone with her when she went into labor.) she would snub him and go about her day as she would have had he not been there.

Alex, unlike Erik, hated to be ignored like that. She hated that he'd suddenly decided that her family wasn't good enough for him, and to lock himself away. She was angry with him, and as Bryan knew, she could stay angry for a long time. Even though Bryan usually couldn't stand her silent treatment and apologized for his behavior before she got a chance to get angry.

"Alexie" Bryan came up to her one day while she was ranting about Erik's unfeeling behavior. How he was going back on their treaty to be more civil to the other until the baby was born at least, and how he was an insensitive jerk and she wished she'd never taken care of him. "Calm down now; think of the baby if not anything else. You getting stressed out over that guy isn't going to help."

"Your right Bryan, I need to just calm down. Besides, he'll probably be out soon and I won't need that _jerkass_ anymore. I don't even need him now, he's an asshole and I hope he has enough money to leave soon!"

"Alexie, you're not calming down. Now come on, breath and remember; when you're giving birth, you'll get to hit him if I'm out of the house." He saw a content smile spread on her face at the idea of giving Erik a good throttle while giving birth, and it did sound good to her. That would be nice, a good clean hit with a good excuse, that thought alone calmed her down completely.

Erik hated having to take himself away from such a warm family setting, but he knew it was right. He knew that getting close to Alex was a very bad idea, and if he got close to her girls; he'd have a reason to stay.

And he didn't want that.

He wanted to leave, but at the same time he also didn't. He wanted to stay and help Alex for a while longer, but no. No he would be out of a job soon anyway; she only needed him while she was pregnant, and it was December, she could have the baby any day.

She'd have the baby, Bryan would take over, and Erik would have to leave. Those sold facts alone kept him away from the family for as long as he could. He didn't want to be hurt anymore; and being so close to four women who were so fragile was something he couldn't do.

Even though he knew Alex was anything but fragile, he still wanted nothing to do with her in the first place. He'd actually _hoped_ he died the day she 'saved' him. But he didn't because of her care, he _wanted_ to die, he wanted to stop all the memories of his life, the horrible things that occurred to him; he wanted gone. But because of Alex he still could see the monster in the mirror that he'd seen years before. He could still hear the mob shouting: "Track down this murderer he must be found!" He'd done too many horrible things in his life to even consider happiness.

Things like that aren't easily forgotten.

Memories of such horror aren't forgotten, and worse off, he would still have to see her face in his sleep. Her chocolaty brown hair bouncing with every movement, her milky skin glowing in every light. The way she looked when he first took her with him to his lair, her wonder, her amazement, and the way she was aroused when he'd held her body ever so gently.

He wondered where he went wrong, he'd had her right where he wanted her. She was aroused, she was trusting, and most of all; she was hypnotized by his voice. He could have had anything he wanted, but he just had to show her the wedding dress.

That was the moment, the moment he'd lost her forever. Of course- there was the whole; pushing her and yelling at her thing, which played a part in it. A major part, OK _that_ might have been the turn off. But either way he sliced it, he'd done something wrong, just like he _always_ did.

"Erik!" Bryan's voice came to the door followed by rapid pounding. "Erik! Get out here!"

"Oh lord…" Erik sighed as he got off his bed and opened the door to Bryan, who had a hysterical look on his face, and he could hear Alex screaming out swear words he'd never heard before.

"Alex She- she's in labor! I need you to stay with her while I go get the midwife. You make sure she keeps that baby in there until I get back! Do you hear me?!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Erik told him, watching the brown-haired man speed off towards the town.

Erik ran to Alex's room where she was screaming her head off, her usually tame hair fell in her face, sweat beaded her face, and she looked like she was in horribly awful pain.

"Stupid ass husband plants his seed and then_ leaves_!" Alex yelled as Erik sat with her and tried to figure out what to do until Bryan came back. Erik was just glad at that point that he was to sit with Alex's daughters while _Bryan _takes Alex's anger.

Erik was glad when Bryan came back to be with his sister, with the midwife with him. Bryan held Alex's hand and coached her through the labor while Erik sat in the living room with Chloe, Ella, and Sophie.

"It's a girl." Ella persisted to her sisters while they waited for Bryan to come and tell them if it's a boy or a girl.

"No, it's a boy!" Chloe argued back, sitting beside Erik while her two sisters sat on the floor.

"What if she has _two_ babies?" Sophie asked excitedly, watching Erik's face become white. One baby crying was a lot for him, but two would be total hell for someone who was never around children. "Erik, where do babies come from?" Erik lifted his head out of his book and looked at the three children, all looking at him with question. _Oh sure_ Erik thought as he searched for an answer. _Ask the guy who doesn't __have__ any._

"Women" He answered bluntly. "Babies come from women." And that was his answer. But that confused the girls even more, so they asked him _how_. "…Ask your mother about that, she's the one having the baby."

"He's got a point." Sophie agreed as they waited. "We can ask her or Uncle Bryan, they'll know." Erik snickered to himself, Bryan would know; he had affairs with women all over London (Or so he told Alex and Erik when he talked about his travels.) big ones, tall ones, small ones, skinny ones; all women. Bryan was a good man and a good uncle, dispite his inability to go fifteen months without sex. But of course, after Alex has her baby he _might_ think differently.

"What's so funny?" Chloe asked, bringing it to Erik's attention that they'd heard him snickering.

"Nothing."

It was at least another two hours before Bryan came down to see them. They were all starting to get bored and impatient. Erik had finished his book, and had resulting to actually _watching_ the girls instead of just sitting in the same room while they played among themselves.

"Did momma have her baby?" Sophie asked in excitement, Bryan he- he had a big black eye that made Erik burst out into laugher before he was able to tell them. The girls rushed to their uncle, all repeatedly asking if she had her baby.

"go and see" Bryan said to them happily, watching as Erik stayed on the couch and snickered at his black eye. "You need to go see too Erik. You've pissed her off, and you need to make amends."

"I don't see why I should." He told him icily. "I didn't stay here so I can be a part of her family, I stayed because I had no where else to go. I've no reason to see." Bryan was surprised that Erik was so cold on such a wonderful day.

"Go see her baby Erik," That was the first time Bryan was equally as cold to Erik as he'd been lately. "Now" when Erik didn't, Bryan grabbed his arm and dragged him up to Alex's room to show him the baby.

When he got there, he was surprised that he was so bitter about seeing the baby in the first place. When he saw Alex, he saw a whole new side of her.

She had a smile on her face, even though she also had large beads of sweat running down her face, her hair spread out in all directions, and she looked loads thinner.

She held in her arms a tiny baby, whose mouth was slightly open. Its eyes were barely open, and he could see the light dust of black peach fuzz on the baby's head. He saw Alex look nurturing, like that baby was the best thing in the whole world; and Erik couldn't stop himself from going to Alex to see the baby.

Bryan got to her side and wiped the sweat from her face with a cold washcloth, and cooed at his little sister for bringing the new baby into the world.

"What'd you name it?" Chloe asked in excitement, wanting to touch the baby and not wanting to break it.

"I named him Thomas."

"We had a _brother_!" Sophie and Ella giggled at each other, before all three girls surrounded their baby brother.

"Hi Thomas" Chloe said with a big smile on her face. "I'm Chloe, that's Sophie and Ella; we're your big sisters." The girls were ecstatic over their baby brother, cooing at him and promising not to pick on him when he gets bigger. Bryan came to talk to his nephew, his only nephew; and to congratulate his sister for bringing such a beautiful little boy into the world.

Everyone was surrounding the baby except Erik, who stayed as far off as he could. He didn't want to hurt the baby, everything he touched seemed to get hurt one way or another. So he just- he didn't want to kill something he thought was so beautiful.

"Erik, come here." Alex ordered him, holding her baby. "Come talk to Thomas," Erik shook his head violently.

"N-No thanks." He declined, staying far from the baby.

"Get over here right now Erik." Bryan ordered while Alex cooed over her baby, the baby she was so worried about turned out to be like she expected. Something she loved and someone she was going to raise just as well as she raised her girls. When she saw his little face, she no longer saw it as: 'that cheating bastard's baby' but as her little boy. Her Thomas.

After much hesitation, Erik made his way over to Alex, and looked at her baby, who _looked_ innocent now, but he knew that would fade when it got hungry, or tired, or just plain bored.

"Here Erik, hold him." Erik's eyes widened as he declined her offer.

"I don't want to hurt him."

"You won't, now get over here and hold him." Alex pulled him down beside her by his sleeve, and positioned him so he could hold the baby without hurting him. Erik was surprised, Thomas still had that new baby smell, but that would fade when he got food in him.

Only one thought flashed through his mind as baby Thomas opened his mouth and closed it, creating his first little spit bubbles. _Did Christine and the Vicomte have a child?_

He didn't see why not, he'd have impregnated Christine in a millisecond if he got the chance.

"He smells nice" Erik said to her with a lack of anything better to say. Thomas did smell nice, for now.

"He does, doesn't he?" Alex agreed, leaning over Erik's arm to be near her son. After Erik had held the baby for a while, Bryan asked that everyone leave so Alex could get some rest. Erik quickly gave Alex her baby back, and left with the girls just like Bryan had ordered them to. "And I'll take Thomas so you can get some sleep." Alex tiredly nodded as Bryan took her baby out of her arms, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and took Thomas out of her room.

It took her a few minutes to find a comfortable spot, but when she did; she was asleep within minutes.

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**:D OK, Alex had her baby! I actually have some plans for this baby; you may or may not be able to guess, but oh well.****Yay to my numerous reviewers!! **


	13. Recollection

**Recollection**

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great._

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Only a week had passed since Thomas was born, and Erik didn't have to take care of him. Alex rarely let him leave her sight, and when she did; she was the one who put him in his cradle. 

Erik was actually glad he didn't have to take care of Thomas, he was worried he'd hurt him; and he didn't want to do that to Alex. Besides, Christine had a childish heart, and he'd twisted it into something terrible. He'd made her cry, and that was the worst thing he could do. He didn't want to hurt Thomas like that, he didn't want to destroy the innocence in the small child.

When he thought of when Alex would ask him to help her with Thomas, all he could see was him accidentally hurting him. Erik knew he had the temper of a rabid dog, and the slightest thing could set him off.

Once he was angry, he didn't think things through. There was no way he could tell himself what he was doing was wrong, or that there were other ways. He didn't feel there were other ways, he'd never been taught any other ways, and he was pushed so far down into madness that he felt that he'd long since drowned in it.

He didn't want to give Thomas the chance to get him angry, because he knew what would happen. He knew that the only way for Alex's child to be safe while Erik was staying at her home, was for him to keep as far from them all as possible.

But since Thomas was born, and Erik saw the love and affection in Alex's eyes, he began to wish his mother had looked upon him with such pride, care, and protection.

For as long as he could remember, Erik wasn't loved by his mother. He wanted so desperately for her to love him and cherish him like all the other children's mothers did. All he wanted was to be loved, at the very least by the woman who gave him _life_.

He could still see her face, her beautiful, milky face; and her golden hair. She was why Erik had grown to love things and people who were "well-designed", but just as she was beautiful; she was also a perfect example of a porcline doll. Beautiful on the outside…

…empty on the inside…

Madeline never loved him, he assumed she was OK with him when he was a baby and too little to remember, but when he began to be able to remember, she hated him with such fire that it burned him.

Erik had learned about his father's death somehow. He learned that he was a good man who died at his work very shortly after Erik's conception. His mother hated him for that, she hated Charles for leaving her all alone to birth and raise the spawn of Satan.

She was a bitter, childish woman who hated Erik. She instilled him with the hatred he would carry for the rest of his life. The hatred that kept him from being at least half-way normal. The hatred that kept him from having the family he always wanted.

There was never a time that she let him forget how ugly, how hideous and how awful he was. She made it sound as if his face defined who he was on the inside, so it was only natural that he began to act like the monster she called him. Nothing could reverse the effect, he would always be alone.

When he was five was when his mother showed him his face for the first time. It was so dreadfully ugly that he'd mistaken it for a monster. From that moment on he had an incubating darkness in him that was easily invoked.

He couldn't change how horrible his mother made him, even though he wished every single day in his life that he could. He'd made the illusion of a happy family right before his mother's eyes, but he had to release her when he needed her protection. A defeating notion really. He was _so_ close to a happy life.

Why was it that his mother's timid friend cared more about his life than his own mother did?

Because his mother, being beautiful and eventually desired by the Physician, was _very _simple. But she wasn't the obvious simple; her's was a subtle simplicity; like Christine once he thought about it.

But the one thing that did it. The straw that broke the camels back for Erik was the night of the attack on his mother and himself. It wasn't the thrashings he'd received from the superstitious villagers, it wasn't that they'd attacked right before his mother was about to love him, but because he saw his beloved dog, Sasha, soaked in blood.

That was the point.

That was when all the happiness in him died.

It was because of that he only saw the darkness, nothing could save him now. He was a lost cause, because nothing said or done could release him from the chains. No matter where he was, or who tried to help, he was alone. Severely, and completely alone.

Even if someone could love Erik, he wasn't sure he'd be a good husband. Every little relationship with a man that the woman had would anger him and cause him to kill the man who he thought she was having an affair with.

Erik mentally snickered.

Killing really _was_ like riding a horse. He never would lose the knack for it.

But that fact aside, if he did love again, it couldn't ever be a normal love. It would be obsession. He would paint portraits of the woman, he would make a little wooden doll of her, and he would write operas about her. It would be obsession, not love.

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**X.x sorry it took so long to do. I had a bit o' writer's block. Ech, I've got school now and that sux eggs. Oh well, the law requires it 'n such. Oh! And his past was the one from Kay's book, but the phantom himself is still ALW's.**


	14. Horse Riding

**Horse Riding**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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Erik had begun to come around again, but was still dreadfully secluded. He was a misanthrope, and it was difficult for anti-social people to suddenly be thrust into a scene where they had to abandon that state of self-protection that they'd built up. But Alex, she saw he was a life-long misanthrope, and worked to break his walls down, no matter how much he'd resisted. 

_Stop being stupid_ his mind told him as he sat in his room the day she came. He'd stayed there for a while, and had only gone out to work. _Alex is trying to be nice to you, and you go and act like an ass. I want you to start at least __trying__ to get along with her._

"Shut up." He hissed to himself quietly. "You're not the boss of me"

_The hell I'm not!_ The voice threatened, and suddenly he'd gotten a very large head ache, as if his brain had been kicked.

Erik buried his face in his pillow, trying to fall asleep. He had no work that day, since the girls were off with their little friends, and Bryan was using Thomas to pick up single women in town. Alex didn't ask him for much, since she was very irritated at him for being so distant.

As he attempted to sleep, Alex burst into his room uninvited and stood beside his bed with her hands on her hips.

"Get up" She ordered, he shook his head. "Now"

"You can't tell me what to do." Erik barked back, burying his head deeper in the pillow; hoping she'd leave.

"The hell I can't." Why does everyone think they're the boss of him? "Get your ass up now." He lifted his head, looked at her, and unsagaciously stuck his tongue out at her. That- pissed her off. She latched her hand on his wrist and pulled him off his bed. Nearly dragging him behind her, until he stumbled onto his feet and followed her out to the stables. "You and I are going to ride horses Erik like or not."

_Do it_ his mind told him as the black horse waited impatiently for Erik to either get on, or take him back to his stall.

"No" Erik snapped at his mind, but Alex thought it was directed towards her.

"Yes, now get your ass up here before I kick it back to Paris!"

_Do it Erik! It's not every day a cute girl asks you to ride horses with her!_

"I don't care!" Erik snapped back at his mind, but Alex gave him a very dirty look.

"Do it Erik" She hissed, her voice was frightening and venomous. The next time his mind told him to get his ass on the horse, he did so without questions.

He and Alex rode up the snow-covered path, and Erik was actually surprised at how well she could ride a horse. He never met a woman who could handle a horse without a man to assist her, god knows Christine couldn't.

"How'd you learn to ride a horse so well?" Erik asked, wanting to cut the growing tension.

"I'm not a prima Donna Erik." Alex told him as their horses went up the path, looking like the Yin and Yang sign. "I can handle myself better than those women you probably met in Paris."

"Probably," Erik replied, allowing the silence to escalate again. It was Alex who broke it the second time.

"Why are you like that?" Alex asked, and Erik- partly knowing what she meant, played dumb.

"What do you mean?"

"You're so cold. What happened to you to make you like that?" Erik knew what it was, he knew that his mother hating him, everyone he ever cared for either died violently or learned to hate him with a passion all had something to do with his coldness. "Is it your face Erik? The reason you're so cold?"

"I really don't think it's any of your business." He wasn't looking at Alex, but when he glanced at her, she had a narrowed look in her eye.

"You see, that's _exactly_ what I mean; you just can't seem to be able to open up to anyone, even me, who's been nothing but nice to you."

"Nothing but nice?" Erik echoed, hoping to draw the conversation away from his face. "You've done nothing but yell at me!"

"Oh really?" She snapped, moving her horse in front of his so he couldn't get away from her. "Who was it that brought you that potpourri when you had that nightmare? Who was it that took to your bedside when you were sick? Damn it Erik, who gave you a job and a home at her own expense?" Erik was silent, thus- making Alex nod to him. "Exactly, so next time you say I haven't been anything but nice to you, think about everything I've done for you. Hell, most of it I did before I even knew your damned name." She moved her horse so the two could continue their ride, Erik desperately wanted to turn back and take to his bedroom sanctuary.

"So is it or not?" Alex asked, taking them back to the first conversation, and making Erik back away again. But slowly, he nodded; knowing that Alex- of all people- wouldn't let something like that sit. "So it is then." He nodded again, and mentioned it was also 'his girl' that made him so reserved. "Well Erik, there is only one thing to say to that. Get over it."

"What?" He snapped in surprise, he hadn't quite expected that. Alex, the one who wanted him to open up to her, had just told him to 'get over it'.

"I'll bet your face isn't really as bad as you make it out to be Erik." She continued after he'd inquired about what she'd said. "And as for your girl; she probably wasn't right for you anyways. There really isn't all that much you can do but build a bridge and get over it."

"Jesus Christ!" He snapped back at her, stopping his horse. Her's continued on for a few steps before stopping in nonchalance. "You _wanted_ me to tell you what the hell was wrong, I did and you tell me to _get over it_? I at least expected something charming!"

"Well, in disappointment we're equally matched!" She barked back at him, she really had not planned to fight with him while they were riding, she'd hoped it would be a heart-to-heart, but instead they ended up fighting. Alex turned her horse around and began to run back to the house, now wanting to get away from the ogre she had been housing.

"Must you _always_ have the last word?" Erik called after her, flabbergasted. His horse went after her's in full gallop. As they raced back to the house, Alex saw he was watching her intensely, with a very dirty look painted on his face.

"Yes I do and- Erik! Watch out!" His head shot forward, and he saw that Sophie was in front of the horse, quickly he pulled back on the reigns, making the horse stand on it's hind legs long enough for Bryan- who was not far off- to pull Ella out of the way as Erik fell off his horse, and hit his elbow and head against the snowy dirt.

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When his eyes opened again, he was back in his room, and Alex had set his arm so it could heal properly. 

"Welcome back" She greeted as she finished wrapping the bandage around his wrist.

"What happened?"

"Well, you fell off your horse, hit your elbow, and luckily didn't break it. But it is sprained, and you'll have to keep it in a cast for a little while." She said as she tied the bandage, and then sat back. "You know, it's not as bad as you made me think. Truly, I expected a lot worse."

"…what?" She pointed to the left half of her face, and immediately he shot his good hand to his face, and saw it was unmasked.

"I really expected it to be a lot more gruesome. I expected it to be filled with gross things and blood, but it's really not all that bad. It's just a big sunburn." But Erik didn't hear any of what she said; he was too shocked that she'd taken off his mask.

"You Bitch!" He slid his good hand off her face and moved to slap it across her's, but she caught his hand in mid air, and dug her nails into his wrist.

"Don't. You. _Dare_. Raise your hand to me" She snapped venomously. Erik saw new flames bursting in her eyes, hot, angry flames at what he'd done. Or- Almost done. "I've _never_ once raised my hand to you, so I expect you to show me the same respect I give you." She hissed before throwing his arm back down. He looked at his wrist, and saw she'd punctured holes in it with her nails, deep holes that bled a little.

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**XP Sorry it took so long for me to update. I had a speck o' writer's block. But that's gone for the time being. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**And sorry again for the long wait XP**


	15. An unexpected Milestone

**An unexpected milestone!**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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Erik's arm had healed in no time at all, and almost immediately, he went to doing as Alex had told him. He was giving her the same respect as she gave him, and he remembered _everything_ she did to him when he was sick, and everything else she did to him. 

It started right when she got up the next morning. She would have slept in, but the smell of food in her house got her up, and more or less confused her. So quickly, she threw a dress on and went down stairs to see Erik making breakfast for Ella, Sophie, and Chloe. Thomas's breakfast hadn't woken up yet and Bryan was sitting at the table, waiting for his breakfast.

"Good, your up" Alex looked at him, her girls, her baby, and then had to pinch herself incase she was having a dream. But no, it wasn't a dream, it was real. "I need you to go into town, pick up a book for me, and some cake for the girls. I promised them cake if they got ready before you woke up."

"…okay…?" Alex said unsteadily, wasn't Erik the one who had to run errands. But then again- it was also Alex who had to get up, get breakfast ready, and get the girls ready before…Erik…oh! "Oh ha-ha Erik." She snapped. "I get it, I told you to show me the same respect I show you, and now you're telling me to do your job. Well, fine, two can play at your childish game." She snapped as she sat down, and Erik presented them a breakfast that wasn't cooked to the best of his abilities. When Alex put the sausage in her mouth her face turned green, and she spat it into her napkin. That was probably setting a bad example for the girls, but she didn't care. "Oh god! This is awful!" She gagged. "Give me a little credit Erik, my cooking isn't _this_ bad."

"Yes it is" Bryan piped up, only to receive a swift kick from Alex.

"Quiet you." She snapped, retuning her dirty look to Erik, who was smirking proudly at himself.

After breakfast, Alex went to get a horse so she could do as Erik told her, the game was an odd one, and she was curious about where it would go; as was Bryan, who thought it funny when the two switched places.

Alex got on the horse, and was _repeatedly_ reminded by Erik not to forget the cake.

"Alright!" She barked at him. "I'm not a bloody twit"

"Just don't forget the-"

"I know, I _know_, the cake!" she snapped back at him, going to town to fetch the bloody cake.

Over the course of the next few days, Erik became extremely annoying. But not his usual kind of annoying. It was a new kind, its like- he walked into her room whenever he pleased, he knocked a bowl off the counter and told her to pick it up, and he seemed to grow attached to Thomas and her daughters as they were catching onto what was going on.

Alex- to escape the madness, went into her private bathroom, and soaked herself in the bath, hoping to relax from what was happening. Erik really had turned the tables on her. That- was _very_ annoying.

She soaked in the bath, sinking her head below the water, and bringing it back above the water after a little. It felt so nice to get some solitude from the madhouse that is her family.

Just when she felt most at peace, Erik burst through the bathroom door with a folded dress on his left arm. After attempting to hide her breasts, she saw Erik also had a pair of her underwear on top of the dress.

"You shit-face!" She yelled at him. "Get the hell out!" But Erik- who was doing all he could not to attempt a peek at her breasts- put the gown on the sink counter.

"Don't flatter yourself Alex." He said before leaving the bathroom, making her feel violated.

The next time she saw him again, she was dressed and in a very bad mood, she went to him and started yelling.

"Don't you _dare _ever come into my private bathroom again! I swear to god Erik, the next time you come into my bathroom I'll forget I'm a lady and I'll beat the tar out of you!" But Erik had a feeling it was an empty threat. "And Jesus Christ Erik! I know I'm not this annoying! I've done nice things for you too you know." She hissed before storming away from him, and after Erik thought about it…she was right.

So the very next morning, Alex woke to Erik sitting at her bedside and with a towel on her forehead.

"What the…?"

"Look who woke up." Erik said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Erik, what are you doing?" She asked as she sat up, but was gently nudged down by Erik. His hand touching her shoulder made a shock wave go through her until he withdrew his touch. "I'm not sick."

"Stop being so damned stubborn" Erik said back to her, a small smirk on his face, Alex, in the front of her mind, wanted him to touch her shoulder again. And Erik- seeing her in her body-hugging, silk night gown made him _want_ to touch her again, he never noticed before how beautiful she was. When he first met her, he thought she was homely looking, but upon closer inspection, he saw she was quite attractive.

"Oh I get it." She smirked, propping herself up with her elbows. "I babied you when you were sick, now you're babying me. Ha-ha." She tried to cover up the feeling he'd left in her when he touched her shoulder by sounding rude or stoic, but it was hard, since his white shirt was open so she could see his chest. She'd seen his chest before, but not that closely. Right then, she'd wanted to press herself against it, and feel a warm embrace from him.

_No!_ She thought to herself as Erik laid her back down, and put a towel to her head._ Remember what Bernard did to you? No not again, you can't handle it again._

It wasn't like Erik wasn't thinking about pinning her down on the bed, and testing to see how strong she really was, she'd proven her strength before, yet- he wanted to see what it was like under her nightgown, instead of when he walked into her bathroom, he'd done his best not to violate her like that.

_Go ahead_ the voice told him. _It wouldn't be the bloody end of the world if you talked to the girl Erik! Get on her good side, be her friend, and maybe she'll let you be more._ But he ignored the voice in his head, not want to think about it at that time. He saw Alex, but not as she wanted him to. He saw her look uncomfortable, as if his being around her had made her uncomfortable in her skin; which he thought was odd for Alex, who seemed so comfortable in who she was.

"Listen Alex-" he started, hoping to god he could find his way through the sentence he'd only partially planned. "-I'm sorry about the other day, when I almost hit you, I'm just sensitive about my face is all." That was weird, he never said something like that to someone before, and once it was said, he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

"I don't see why" Alex replied, her face turning a light crimson as her eyes changed from his chest to his face. "It really isn't that big of a deal, sure, it's something regular people wouldn't like, but you must know by now that I'm anything but normal." He nodded, knowing exactly what she meant.

_Kiss me…_her mind cried to him.

_Kiss her…_ his mind ordered to him.

_I want to feel you…_

_You need to feel her…_

_Let me feel lips again…_

_She needs you to kiss her…_

_I need to feel important…_

_She wants to feel like someone cares…_

_It's been so long…_

_Let Christine go…_

_Please…_

_Do it now…_

They both acted on their impulses at the same time. Erik's lips came crashing down on Alex's, and vise versa.

Erik adored her kiss, it was perfect. Not too hard, not too hesitant, it was perfect. Not only that, but when they kissed, they both felt as if fireworks were being set off. As if the temperature in the room had escalated to an unbelievable high, and that volcanoes were erupting. It was the best kiss either of them could wish for, especially since they'd only been with one person in both their lives, and both those people left them.

Erik moved slightly, putting his hand behind her neck and keeping their kiss going, knowing it was wrong, knowing more than anyone that he shouldn't be doing what he was, but somehow; the fact that it was wrong made him want to do it more. That kiss was dangerous, and they both wanted the danger.

It was a full two minutes of lip sucking before they realized what they'd done, and Alex- embarrassed past any point, told him to leave. He did, but with a bright red face, the realization of what he did, and the phenomenal taste of her lips against his.

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And the Plot Thickens!

**Yep, that's all I've got to say. Besides: Thanks to my awshome possum reviewers!**


	16. SIDS

**SIDS**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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Ever since then, it was rare for Alex and Erik to ever be in the same room with each other. 

In fact, it rarely ever happened. Since then, Alex had eaten breakfast early with Bryan and the girls, while Erik ate his breakfast later when she was finished and up in her study.

Ironically enough, right after their world-shattering kiss, she'd been sparked with a sudden inspiration, and had abandoned the book she'd been attempting to write; and began a new one.

_She could see his chest rising and falling in the half-light of the cabin; but there were still limits to the things she could say to him. She found solace in the solitude he showed her, and warmth in his embrace. _

_It started out so simply, she could hardly remember when it happened. They'd both lost control, and for Alice, that was something she couldn't stand. _

_She had to be in control, but he made her weak and helpless to his seducing voice as it caressed each word, as though each statement he spoke was a beautiful woman's face in his hands…_

That one she rarely had any trouble writing but, she had only started it after all. It would be a few months before she could even consider editing it and re-writing it to make it better.

In fact, she hadn't even talked to Erik until she had to run errands. That day was a very gloomy, rainy day. The girls were forbidden to play outside in that weather, and it was Erik's job to keep them inside the house; and out of the new spring mud.

"Can you watch the girls?" She asked, not looking him in the eye. Erik shook his head.

"Why can't Bryan?"

"Because I have a date mate." Bryan said as he entered the living room, a coat around his shoulders, and on his hands were black gloves with missing fingers. He actually looked homeless. "With a beauty of a woman! She's all fur coat and no knickers though, but eh, Beggars can't be choosers."

"Bryan, please get back before three. I need you to check on Thomas while I'm gone."

"Well I'm not so useless" Erik snapped. "I can handle a bloody baby, it eats, it poops, it's done." Alex snickered at him.

"Just remember that when Thomas is wailing his little head off. Now Bryan, _please_?"

"Fine Alexie, but you owe me big." Alex nodded, and simply said:

"I know."

They both left, and Erik spent the day watching the girls play with their dolls, and being forced to read to them at noon. But that wasn't so bad, since they all snuggled against him on the chair, putting their heads against him, and listening to his wonderful reading.

Once they were down for their naps, he went up stairs to check on Thomas, who was sleeping like the baby he was. Smiling very lightly, Erik quietly shut the door to the nursery and went into Alex's study, spotting the new novel she was working on.

He read what she had done, and found it to be very interesting, and different from her other stories. But he did like that one, and he was proud to be the first to read the manuscript from a famous author. But as he read, he heard Bryan yell.

"ERIK!" Erik jumped up, quickly hiding the fact that he was reading Alex's novel, and ran to where Bryan was, which was the nursery, standing over Thomas's cradle. Erik stopped in the doorway to see the angriest look on Bryan's face. "You _bastard_! What did you _do_?"

"I didn't do _anything_! Now shut up or you'll wake Thomas!"

"Oh no I won't you irresponsible jackass! Because Thomas is _dead_!" bellowed Bryan, catching Erik completely off guard. Quickly, Erik went to Thomas's cradle, and saw that the baby in fact, wasn't breathing.

"Oh _god_!" Erik yelled, whipping around to the door. "I've got to get a doctor!" Swiftly, Erik ran out of the house, nearly stumbling over his feet, and to the stable; where he grabbed the first horse he saw.

He dashed into town and requested the doctor to come and look at Thomas. The doctor agreed to go with Erik, but as they were leaving town, Alex caught Erik.

"Erik?" she sounded astonished to see him. "What are you doing here? What happened?" Erik hesitated, how could he tell her that her only son, who was barely four months old, died? He no longer had it in him to be the bearer of bad news. But the look in his eye was enough to frighten her, make her drop the groceries and climb onto the horse between him and the doctor.

The doctor went right for the nursery, but told Erik to keep Alex out.

"I don't need the mother interfering" he'd said, but all Alex wanted right then was to be by her son's side, whatever happened to him, she wanted to be holding his little hand.

"THOMAS!!!" Alex was screaming while Erik held her back as the doctor did his job with Bryan watching over Thomas. Erik prayed to god that they'd been wrong, that Thomas was OK and that everything else would be OK.

But when the doctor came back, his face was white, and he was shaking his head miserably. Erik felt the struggling Alex go limp in his arms, and all he wanted to do was turn her around and hug her, but he didn't.

"I'm sorry…" the doctor sighed. "…but your son is dead." Alex made no sound, no movement, and no response. "I'll send for the corpse wagon tomorrow." Said the doctor. The doctor, after being paid by Erik, left the house, and Alex made her way into the nursery.

She leaned over the cradle with her brother keeping a hand on her back. As she gazed at her son, she felt tears slide down her face. Erik could only watch in the doorway as Alex lifted Thomas out of his cradle, hugged him close to her, and began to sob uncontrollably.

Erik had never heard her cry before, not that hard anyway. She was nearly choking on every attempt at a breath, and her sobs were so loud that they woke the girls, and Erik had to keep them out of the nursery until Alex could tell them what happened.

"Erik…" Said Chloe as she peeked between his legs and saw her mother sobbing on the floor with Thomas in her arms. "…why is momma crying?"

"Chloe, I'll tell you later OK? Can you and your sisters please go to the playroom for a little while?" Chloe nodded, and her sisters followed her to the playroom, where they waited for someone to answer their questions.

"Thomas…Thomas….my little Thomas…" She sobbed on the corpse of her baby, his eyes closed, and looking as though he were in a deep, comfortable sleep.

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**Thomas died of SIDS, which stands for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. If you wish to know more, you can consult your local library or Wikipedia. Whichever.**


	17. The innocense can never last

**The innocence can never last**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

* * *

The day of Thomas's funeral was the worst day they could experience. Except Erik, who had obviously gone through so much worse. But to the Turners, it was the blackest day in their history. 

Watching Thomas's shoe-box sized casket get lowered into the cemetery was too much for Alex, Bryan, and the girls. Bryan held Alex in his arms, while Erik watched over the girls, who were all sobbing into his arms.

"Let this pour soul wander forever in god's light, eternally loved by our Savior Christ; and protected in his arms. Amen." They all nodded, unable to say anything without breaking into tears.

The priest went to Alex, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I want to offer a comforting thought." She nodded, ready to listen. "All babies like Thomas go straight to heaven; he's forever protected by Christ." Choking back a sob, Alex nodded again and watched the priest leave the cemetery with his bible in his hands. She knelt by her son's grave once it had been filled with the earth, and sobbed. Bryan knelt by his sister, and Erik continued to comfort the girls.

* * *

Erik felt so guilty about what happened. Thomas was left in his care and he died, his blood was on Erik's hands so-to-speak. Once they'd returned home after the funeral, Alex went right to her room, and that was where she stayed. 

He wanted to talk to her, to tell her he was sorry for what he did. He was sorry for what happened to Thomas, and that he really thought he was sleeping. But Bryan kept Erik away from Alex.

"You've done enough." Bryan snapped coldly at him. It was so unlike Bryan to be that cold and unforgiving over an accident, and Erik had convinced himself that it wasn't his fault.

But that didn't change the guilt.

He felt responsible for Thomas's death; he should have taken better care of him. But it was then that the realization came to him.

_Everything I touch dies._

That statement alone sent him back into hiding in his bedroom.

During the time that passed, Erik could hear Alex's hard sobbing from her bedroom. The potpourri wasn't enough to help her at that point, it was more than a nightmare; she'd lost her child.

One night, Erik finally decided that he couldn't take the guilt anymore. He got out of his bed at two in the morning, counted out his rent money, put it in his pocket, quietly went upstairs, and knocked on Alex's bedroom door.

"What?" Came her pitiful voice.

"Alex its Erik, Can I please talk to you?"

"Go ahead." And he was allowed to open the unlocked door. He closed it quietly, and saw Alex sitting in a chair beside her balcony window with a blanket over her legs, her eyes were red, and she looked as if she had no plans to sleep.

"I-I um- brought my rent." He told her, holding it out to her, she glanced at it, and shook her head.

"Not this month, I'll let it slide."

"No- no I have to pay it" he heard her sigh with irritancy, then pointed to a red velvet bag on a table.

"Put your money in there." He nodded and did as she told him. "Is that all Erik?"

"…no…" He said, going back to her and sitting on the bed. "I-I'm sorry about Thomas. I thought he was asleep! Honestly I did. I'm cursed Alex, I can't touch anything without destroying it."

"Shut up Erik." Alex spoke coldly. "I want to believe you. But your temper doesn't exactly have a spotless record. You do have a tendency to overreact to the simplest of things. I don't want to think that Thomas was crying and it made you mad, so you smothered him to death; but somehow, I can believe it."

"Alex you know I wouldn't hurt him! I've never hurt the girls, why would I hurt him?"

"Because he was an infant," Alex challenged, still in her rocking chair. "The girls know when to leave you alone, Thomas didn't! You aren't exactly the nicest man I've ever met Erik, That's why I asked Bryan to check in on Thomas, because I had a feeling you would hurt him!"

"Alex-!"

"Apparently I was right! But I should have asked him to see in on you sooner, maybe he would have been able to remedy the situation before you killed him!"

"I didn't hurt him!" Erik confronted back, "I was reading your manuscript when Bryan came in, and Thomas was quiet the whole afternoon! I only checked in on him after the girls were asleep and I _thought_ he was too!"

"I left you in _charge_ Erik!" Alex bellowed at him with hardness and coldness in her otherwise pleasant voice. "Damn it! He was _your_ responsibility! I trusted you to take care of him and you _killed_ him!" At that point, Alex was hysterical to tears, her body was shaking, and for the first time since Erik had arrived; he saw hate in her eyes. He opened his mouth to fight back, but nothing came. "Go Erik." She hissed. "Get out, I-I can't take you anymore. It was fine when it was just us, but you killed my child, you allowed him to die and I don't want to take any more chances. Get out of my house."

"Alex…"

"GO!" She screamed at him, falling back into her chair and sobbing into her palms. Erik could hear Bryan's bedroom door open, and he knew that Bryan would kill him if he knew that he made Alex cry, so he managed to get down stairs before Bryan got to the stairs, and then went out the door.

But where was he to go? He had been so welcome in Alex's home that he forgot to wonder where to go next. Part of him wanted to go into the stables and wait for her to ask him back, but he knew that wasn't happening.

_I killed Thomas…_ he sighed to himself. _…She won't want me back. _So, reluctantly, he made his way to the brook just below the hill where Alex's house sat, he would have to find somewhere to sleep for the night, and then start off on his aimless journey in the morning.


	18. A heroic act

**A heroic act**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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Erik hardly got any sleep that night. He'd found a tree to sleep in, a very high tree that could easily kill him if he fell. That was one of the two reasons he couldn't sleep, he was very paranoid he'd fall to his death in one wrong sleepy turn. 

The other reason was that he'd convinced himself that he did kill Thomas. He knew he didn't smother him like Alex thought he did, he knew he should have inspected Thomas closer, or kept him with himself and the girls in the playroom so he could keep an eye on his breathing habits.

No matter how many things he knew he should have done differently, he knew that none of it was going to give Alex her son back.

His eyes slowly drifted open the minute the sun had risen that morning, and it felt that between two AM and six AM, he'd only gotten least five minutes of actual sleep. Between his paranoia and guilt.

_I should get going…_Erik thought to himself, but he didn't move. He put his head against the trunk of the tree, and longed for his bedroom. That small room with the comfortable bed that Alex had warmly given him. He'd done nothing to deserve that room, but she gave it to him anyway. Even though her brother had moved in with her, she still allowed Erik to keep his job and his room, and he hadn't done anything but bother her. _She's done so much for me, and I killed her only son…_

"God damn me." Erik whispered to himself aloud "Well, more than you already have."

_You know that what happened wasn't your fault._ His mind had said to him. _You thought he was asleep, he looked asleep anyway. Anyone could make that mistake, even Alex._

"It doesn't matter." Erik replied. "Everyone I know dies unnaturally. I'm _cursed_! Why go on? I'll just hurt others!"

_Sure, the opera house thing was your fault. _His mind snapped again_. But that was then, and this is now Erik. If you had only realized that when Alex allowed you to stay; maybe you wouldn't be up here in the tree. Had you only realized that it was time to start again, not everyone gets second chances Erik; and you just blew yours._

"You're no help." He hissed back.

_I'm not here to help._ His mind replied bluntly. _I'm here to reveal the truth. _

He shut his eyes, and could only see Alex sobbing over Thomas's body, and he began to miss the day that they'd both lost their minds for a moment and had kissed. He wanted that day back, he knew that if he could; he wouldn't leave when Alex told him to, he would shake his head, and kiss her again.

He would saver her taste, and let her know that she didn't have to be embarrassed. That he liked it. That he didn't want to stop, and then he'd kiss her again.

_No I wouldn't._ Erik thought to himself. _I know the scene would play out just as it really did. I'd leave, she'd be embarrassed, and the next time we would speak, she would be yelling at me for killing her son._

He could hear his name off in the distance, but didn't respond to it. He just crossed his arms and wondered if he should head east or west, north or south. He guessed it didn't matter, if he had no idea where he was going; anyway could take him there.

"Erik!" Came one voice

"Erik!" came another

"Erik!" Came the final voice. Upon hearing the voices come closer; he could identify them as Chloe's, Elle's, and Sophie's.

"What are you doing up there?" Chloe asked when they stopped at the foot of Erik's phenomenally large tree.

"I could ask why you're down there" Erik called back, wanting the girls to just go back home, he didn't want to hurt anymore of Alex's children. "Go home girls,"

"No" Chloe snapped back at him, truly, Chloe got her mother's stubbornness. Chloe whispered to her sisters, and Erik watched as Sophie climbed onto Elle's shoulders, and Chloe climbed on top of Elle's, and grabbed a branch not far from them.

Erik told her to go back, but Chloe didn't listen, she continued to reach for branches, and climb the tree next to Erik's until she reached his height, and inched her way over to the edge.

"Come home Mr. Mask." Chloe said to him. "We miss you. Momma won't stop crying, and Uncle Bryan won't come out of his room. The hallway has a funny smell, and we miss you."

"Chloe, as much as I would like to go back, I just can't."

"But _we _know you didn't do it." Chloe argued desperately. "You were with us all afternoon, you couldn't have hurt Thomas."

"Thank you Chloe, but I'm still not welcome back."

"We welcome you back!" Chloe argued, inching closer to him, and trying to get a hug. But Erik saw the branch beneath her giving way. Before Erik could tell her to go back, the branch broke and Chloe began to fall.

"CHLOE!" Erik yelled, plunging after her. He managed to grab her before she fell and break their fall by landing on a branch below them that didn't break. All the other branches broke, scraped them both up pretty bad, and the whole event left Chloe screaming in his arms.

But that branch did break the second they landed on it, but it wasn't far from the ground. The two hit the ground with a great force, and were knocked out.

----

The next time Erik was awake, he was covered in bandages, and a doctor sat beside him. He was back in his old room, but had a stinging pain from all the cuts and slices all over his body from the branches.

"Welcome back" said the doctor. "Bryan came and got me after Alex brought you back here."

"…where's Chloe…?"

"She's fine; Alex is tending to her now. You took most of the impact, breaking Chloe's fall. It's a miracle in heaven that your spine didn't crack on the impact." Erik groaned in pain before speaking again, the throbbing in his body being worse than when he got to Lilles.

"…she's not hurt, is she…?"

"Not seriously. She's only got a few cuts and bruises," The doctor was caught off guard when Erik tried to stand and go see Chloe; he was unable to move, because of the pain and everything. "Oh! You can't move! Get back in this bed; You'll surely break your spine if you try to get up."

"I want to see Chloe" Erik insisted, Groping around the wall to keep himself up. But the doctor pulled him back over to the bed, and told him to stay put.

"I'll go see if Alex will let you see her." Erik painfully nodded as the doctor stood and left the room. Only to return a few minutes later, shaking his head. ""Not now" she says." Erik desperately wanted to go see Chloe, he wanted to see for himself that she wasn't hurt, but he'd passed out again from the pain.

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**I hope this chapter was good. The tree thing was a last minute idea, but I thought it was a good one. ****Thanks to my reviewers, who all rock!**


	19. All I ask of You

**All I ask of You**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

* * *

Chloe sat in her bedroom for days, with her puppy at her side. Lena kept her head set on Chloe's stomach as she painfully stroked the dogs head, and watched her mother nurse over her. 

"Momma…" Chloe quietly whimpered. "…Is Erik OK?"

"He's fine princess." Alex assured her, even though she hadn't gone to see Erik at all since the accident. "The doctor is taking good care of him."

"I want you to take care of him." Chloe said. "You make everyone feel better."

Alex told Chloe she would, even though she probably wouldn't. She couldn't even look at Erik, let alone tend to him. Chloe knew her mother wouldn't tend to Erik, she knew how much she disliked him at the moment.

So, when Alex left the room, Chloe painfully tip-toed to Erik's room, and peeked in on him. The doctor had left for lunch, and she could see Erik starring out his window.

"Erik?" She whispered, inching into his room. When he heard her voice, his eyes moved over to her, and she saw him spring up in his bed.

"Chloe!" She watched him try to run over to her and thank god she was OK for the most part, but he couldn't. So she ran to him, and crawled onto his bed. She fell into his arms, and he hugged onto her tightly. "Oh god, are you OK? You're not hurt right?"

"I'm OK, I gots a lot of boo-boos, but those will go away." She said to him, sobbing into his shirt. "I was scared."

"I bet." He cooed to her, trying to get her to stop crying. "That was one bad fall." He realized then that she wasn't going to stop crying soon, so he lifted her chin, and with every muscle in his body, managed to produce a smile. "You see, now you will think nothing of falling down the stairs." She nodded, and managed to laugh a little. She wiped her tears away with her wrists, and hugged Erik again. He was none-the-less surprised that she wanted to hug him; it was because of him that she was up in the tree in the first place, but he didn't turn her away. He just hugged her and gently stroked her hair.

Little did Erik know that since Chloe went to see him, Alex had been watching in the doorway. She was glad that Erik cared so much for Chloe that he'd put his life on the line, but she was caught off guard by his smile. He looked so warm and happy when he smiled, and she wished he'd done it more often.

Elle and Sophie went into Erik's room later, after Alex had left, and began hugging him.

"Erik" Elle asked sweetly. "When you get all better, can you play with us?"

"Pretty please?" Sophie added, they actually expected him to reject them, but were surprised when he nodded.

"Alright." He gave Chloe one last tight hug before the other two demanded a hug from him as well, so he gave them.

Chloe scurried back to her room, and as the others left, Erik stopped Sophie.

"Sophie, could you get your mother for me?"

"Sure!" She replied before she left the room. She found her mother in the hallway, and told her that Erik wanted to talk to her.

Alex went into Erik's room, but she didn't look happy to see him.

"Thank you…for saving Chloe." She managed to say, even though she wasn't happy to see him. "It seems you keep ending up in bandages." He tried to smile, but he didn't. He couldn't. Not with that look in her eye. She stayed at the door while he stayed in his bed, hoping she wasn't angry with him anymore. "You can stay here until you're better, but after that I want you gone."

"Alex I won't let you think I killed Thomas" Erik snapped at her. "Because I didn't. Why would I kill him? You can ask the girls; I was with them all afternoon and they didn't hear him cry _once_. I want to be able to prove to you that I didn't do it, but I can't." He hated sounding so desperate, but he wasn't going to be charged as a baby-killer. He _didn't_ kill Thomas, and he_ would_ get Alex to believe him. "I know I can't prove that I did it, but I do hope you believe me. Because hurting Thomas is the last thing I ever wanted to do." He paused, waiting for her to reply, when she didn't, he continued on. "Please believe me, that's all I ask of you." But she started shaking her head.

"Not today." And left the room, making Erik feel defeated, tired, and frustrated.

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**Yep, just a short lil' chappie. No big dealio.**


	20. Erik CAN Act!

**Erik CAN Act!**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

* * *

The girls very rarely left Erik's side. Chloe had begun to feel better, but thanks to Erik's heroic act, she stayed near him, along with her two sisters. Erik's wounds had healed, and if Alex knew that he was better, she would make him leave; and the girls knew that. 

But they wanted him to stay. Erik- even though no one knew it but them- had filled in the father role that Bernard had left behind. He took care of them, listened to them and after a while of attempts to win him over had begun to understand them. They wanted Erik to stay; they didn't want to lose a father again.

Alex had actually hoped Bryan could fill in that part of them that had been taken, but he didn't. He was their uncle, and nothing could make them forget their father, but Erik did a good job eventually showing them the affection that was lacked.

One night, Alex was in her room mourning her son, and Bryan was trying to comfort his sister; while the girls were sitting with Erik on his bed, listening to him read to them, Sophie piped up.

"I don't want you to go away." Everyone looked at her, and they all agreed. Elle and Chloe didn't want him to leave either, and Erik- for once- didn't want to.

"Me neither" Chloe and Elle replied in unison, resting against Erik, and glancing up at his black, porcline mask.

"I don't want to have to." Erik replied, glancing down at the triplets that had inadvertently won him over. The girls shared a look of desperation, before their expressions faded and they looked up at Erik. "What?"

"Momma said when you get _better_, you had to leave…" Sophie suggested, smiling at him.

"…but if you don't get better, you _can't_ leave…" Elle added slyly.

"…so if you still _act_ hurt, momma won't make you leave."

"That could work, but I'll have to get better eventually." Erik said to them, he was actually pretty glad that Alex had three hell-raisers as children, that fact made it easier for them to bond.

"We could try to talk momma into letting you stay." Chloe piped up happily.

"Yeah!" Her sisters agreed with a bright smile on their faces. They were undeniably clever for three-year-olds. "We can do it!"

"You girls are clever little demons." Erik told them, it would have almost been an insult, if he hadn't smiled when he said it.

So that was what they did. Sure, their devious plot cost them quality time with Erik, but they knew that when their mother allowed him to stay; they would make-up for it.

Erik saw it like this: If he could pretend to be an upstanding citizen with a normal face managing the opera house before it burnt to the ground and "Gave" him his deformity, he could surely pretend to be in pain. Hell, if he could pretend to be Christine's angel of music, he could pretend to be in pain.

So he did, Alex would come into his room to check on him; hoping he was well enough to leave and he would try to sit up, but be pushed back by fake pain. Thus, he earned some sympathy points from Alex. Sure, they weren't his favorite points to earn, but that point; any points were good ones.

She helped him into the bath to sooth the sore muscles, and more or less babied him like she had when he was ill.

He was convincing, and the girls could only hope they could talk their mother into letting him stay before she caught on to their plot.

"Momma" Chloe approached her first, since she was the one who had gotten hurt; they hoped she would listen to what Chloe wanted. Alex was in her room, the same place she was when she wasn't playing nurse to Erik's injuries. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure baby" She watched Chloe enter the room, and then sit on her lap. She put her head on her mother's shoulder, and tried to be as sweet and innocent as she could for being the tomboy sister.

"Elle, Sophie and me- we don't want Erik to leave." She told her pitifully, using her three-year-old puppy eyes to persuade her mother into giving her what they wanted.

"Chloe honey, you know why I don't want Erik around you girls," Alex said, her voice straining to sound firm and hard. But Chloe's innocence made it hard.

"But he won't hurt us momma. He didn't even hurt Thomas. He was with us, I remember because we'd gotten him to play dolls with us. He didn't like it, but he did anyway. Then he read to us until we fell asleep; we didn't wake up until uncle Bryan yelled."

"And in that time, he could have killed Thomas." Alex snapped, knowing that Erik had either threatened or tricked her daughters into believing that he didn't do anything. "Chloe; I will not house a murderer."

"But momma!" She whined "Erik loves us! You've surely seen how he doesn't turn us away anymore."

"I said no" Alex replied firmly, Chloe saw her attempt had failed, so she simply said:

"What if I fall out of a tree again and Erik isn't there to save me?" and saw that she was crossing the line in arguing with her mother, so she scurried off in defeat.

Upon hearing of Chloe's failure, Erik had a feeling that they wouldn't get it through Alex's thick head that Erik didn't do anything, that he wouldn't do anything, and that he couldn't do anything to hurt any of her children.

Elle tried next, but unfortunately failed, as did Sophie. The girls even went to argue with their mother all together and they still failed, and were sent off to their rooms until they learned that Erik leaving was for their own good.

To buy time, Erik was acting like he was in inconceivable amounts of pain, when in fact he was not hurting at all. Alex believed him, and continued to nurse him back to health, no matter how angry or hateful she was of him.

Chloe, Elle, and Sophie paid him as many visits as they could, saying they were sorry for not being able to convince their mother that he was innocent.

"It's OK girls." Erik assured them, even though the girls didn't think it was OK at all. They cried on him, saying they wanted him to stay. The girls stayed with him all night, because they knew it was the last night they would have with Erik, Alex would make him leave in the morning.

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**Yes! Once again, Hot4Gerry has given me another awesome idea! That's like the third or fourth time that Hot4Gerry has given me awesome ideas for chapters! Woo you Gerry! **


	21. Late to the Dragon

**Late to the Dragon**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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Erik kept his façade going as long as he could. He knew that it couldn't last long, since Alex- though thick headed and stubborn- was very smart, and would soon learn that Erik was faking his injuries for weeks. 

Not only was he faking his injuries, but he was trying to win her back to his side. He complemented the gowns she wore the days she went to check in on him, and tried to start a friendly conversation with her. But all was in vain.

If Alex wasn't nursing Erik back to health, she was sleeping in his room. It was while Erik was trying to secretly make amends to her, that she realized that Thomas's death wasn't Erik's fault at all.

It was her's.

The guilt rose in her until she couldn't take it anymore. Even in her dreams, her guilt gnawed away at her. She hadn't admitted it to anyone before, but she had been having a reoccurring dream where a dragon was taunting her for killing Thomas.

One night in particular, her dream came to her, and it haunted her just as it always did.

She was standing on a hill in front of her house, charred, but still standing. The ground was nothing but hard rock, and all the trees in the brook were burned up; no leaves or sign of life.

She whipped around, looking for someone- anyone; Bryan, Chloe, Elle, Sophie, or even Erik. The air was hot and humid, making it difficult for her to breath; she choked on the soot in the red sky, searching for someone.

A loud thud caused her to belt back around to see a giant black dragon glaring at her with big, yellow, soulless eyes.

"You're late Alex, have you never heard that punctuality is a virtue?"

"You and my step mother have much in common." Alex snapped at the dragon, no fear in her eyes.

"You're repeatedly late aren't you? Between your dim-witted daydreams and your grooming vanity, the hours just fly by don't they? There is hardly any time for anything else." The dragon hissed before Alex crossed her arms and turned her back to the voluminous dragon.

"Is that the best you can do? Hurl second-rate insults at me? They don't hurt."

"Thomas wondered where you were" The dragon said to her, moving its bulky head so it was right beside her ear. "He was dying, and you weren't there to help him. It was your job as a mother to protect your child and you weren't there. You know that you failed as a mother"

"No!" Alex roared, tears forming behind her eyes. "No I didn't! Erik was the one baby sitting him! Thomas was his responsibility!"

"You don't believe it was his fault, you wanted to take Thomas with you to the market, but you didn't; because you couldn't get him to nap earlier in the day. You kept Thomas at home, thinking that it wasn't a big deal. But when you found out he was dead, you could only blame yourself.

"You childish, useless woman, you had a feeling something was wrong, but you ignored it and went about your day, only to find your son dead upon your return. You only blamed Erik because he already blamed himself, it was easy to pass the blame to Erik, but it was because of you that Thomas died alone. You deserve to have all of your children slaughtered before your eyes."

"NOO!" Alex screamed at him, falling to her knees and sobbing. But the dragon, he just smirked, showing his sharp; pointed teeth.

"How foolish you were to think you could overcome your guilt!" It roared in pleasure at the sight of her swollen guilt, and her self-blame.

Alex sprang up in her bed, tears down her face and her body shaking. The room was entirely black, and completely still aside from her sudden jolt out of sleep. Quickly, Alex got out of bed, threw a robe over her arms, and went down to the living room for some tea to calm her nerves.

Once the tea was boiled, she poured it into a cup, and quickly drank it under the glow of the single candle she'd lit. She choked the tea down between guilty sobs, hoping she wasn't waking anyone.

After a few minutes in the silence, she heard a voice call her name. She turned her head towards the arch that lead to the stairs, and saw Erik standing in the archway, leaning against it and holding his waist in fake pain.

"What are you doing up so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Alex said morbidly, hoping her tea would hide the guilt and keep her from having to answer Erik's question.

"I heard you" He admitted. "Screaming in your sleep" But she was shaking her head.

"It's nothing. I just had a nightmare." But Erik, in the dark, could tell she wasn't being completely honest with him, she wanted to admit that it was her fault that Thomas was dead, not his; and that she didn't blame him. But after all the times she didn't believe him, that she insisted that it was his fault; she couldn't just admit that she'd blamed him to get over her own self-blame.

"What was it about?" Erik asked, joining her for tea even though he had not been invited to do so. He didn't need an invitation; he'd done things and gone places where he was not invited.

"Nothing really" She said "I just dreamt that the house was burnt down, and there was no life anywhere. There was only this weird- dragon that kept blaming me for Thomas's death. He kept saying that I blamed you to get over my own guilt."

"It's not your fault Alex" Erik assured her. "I was the one-"

"Stop it Erik!" Alex snapped at him suddenly. "Stop taking the blame, I don't know why you took the blame to begin with, but I want you to stop it. I killed my son by not taking him with me to the market like I'd wanted, I didn't come back home when I had a bad feeling something was wrong, and then I had the nerve to blame you! Why would you take the blame for that?" Erik was quiet, he didn't know why he took the blame, but Alex wouldn't let him reply even if he knew how, because she'd gotten all hysterical and began sobbing in her hands. Erik just went over to her, and grabbed her shoulders.

"Listen, it wasn't my fault, and it wasn't your fault. Even if there was someone to blame, it wouldn't do any good. Finding someone to blame won't bring Thomas back, you know that." She nodded, and hung her head in shame, but she was surprised when Erik gave her a hug. "So don't blame yourself anymore Alex, let go of his death, and remember his life."

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**Erik was probably OOC right there, but oh well. They needed some time to sort things out anyways. YAY for my reviewers! WOO! **


	22. Bells! Bells! Bells!

**Bells! Bells! Bells! The rhyming and the chiming of the bells! **

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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Sophie was having a good dream, but unfortunately her deep sleep and good dreams were interrupted when her sisters stirred her out of her sleep before she sun was even up. Grumbling irritably, Sophie sat on her knees, and demanded to know why Chloe and Elle thought it right to wake her so early. 

"Chloe came up with a plan" Elle piped up in a whisper, they didn't want their mother, their man-nanny, or their uncle to know they were awake at two in the morning. "A real good one too!"

"What is it?" Sophie asked, both with irritation and curiosity. Chloe's plans had a tendency to buy them time, but Sophie couldn't think of a reason to buy any time. Erik wasn't in trouble with Alex, and that was the only reason she could think of to need to buy time in the first place.

"Momma is lonely…" Chloe began, starting to get to the point. "…and I want a daddy, I don't know about you Sophie, but Elle does too. We love Erik, and I was thinking that we try to get momma and Erik to fall in _love_!" Chloe, through the moonlight shining in her sister's room, could see her ears perk and her hand cover her chin.

"That _does _sound like a good idea." Sophie agreed; Chloe _did _always have a knack for coming up with schemes. That one, by far, was the best. "But do you have a plan?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have brought it up." Chloe told her sister. "I was thinking that when we go to the brook today, we do all we can to push momma and Erik together!"

"How?" Sophie asked, since Elle apparently already knew the plan.

"I don't know, I guess anyway we can think how. But we've got to be subtle about it; we can't let them know what we're up to." Chloe said, receiving two approving nods from her sisters.

During breakfast, as Erik ate his breakfast, the girls looked at each other with a smile, then at their mother.

"Gee momma, you sure look pretty in that dress." Chloe started, looking at her mother's black crepe dress, which she had to wear for a few more months while she mourned Thomas. "Doesn't she Erik?" Erik looked up at the mention of his name, and looked at Alex, who in fact, did look very pretty.

"Very" Erik replied, though not looking like he meant it. Bryan hadn't woken up yet, since he had "late night rendezvous" with his date the other night, so he probably wouldn't join them until late in the afternoon. Erik actually wished Alex didn't have to wear her black dress, since brighter colors seemed to suit her so much more. She wasn't a dark colors kind of person, but he understood why she wore the dress.

After breakfast, the five of them went to the brook (Followed by Lena) where the girls played in a low tree, starting a game at which all of them had to be present.

"We're going to play rescue the queen" Chloe told them as if they had a choice. "I'll be the princess, Elle will be the good witch, and Sophie- you'll be…the court adviser. Momma, you'll be the queen; and Erik, you be the prince!" Elle and Sophie shared a mischievous smile as everyone played their Character, and Alex had to climb up in a tree and pretend to be asleep.

Erik had to be told by the 'princess' to find her mother, and had to seek help from 'the court advisor' and the 'good witch.' Lena played the part of his trusty lion, which the girls had made up on the spot.

As silly and foolish as he felt playing some child's game, he thought it was a little fun. He never got to play games like that when he was a child, and it was nice to finally do something he never could.

He had climbed the tree where Alex had pretended to sleep, and he could see an amused smile on her face. As if Erik's guard having been let down- after almost a year with them- was amusing to her. Although he could see why it would be, he'd been so goddamned stubborn all year; and he was starting to get the hint that he didn't have to be isolated anymore.

Once he was up on the branch at Alex's feet, he called down to the girls

"What now?" The girls grinned at each other before Chloe called back up to him.

"You've got to _kiss_ her!" upon hearing what her daughter's said Erik had to do, Alex's eyes popped open and her smile faded. Erik's pale face had brightened into a salmon pink color, and the girls erupted in mad giggles. Erik saw Alex's eyes snap shut again, and the girls watched closely.

"Just pretend" Alex whispered to him. Erik nodded and leaned in to kiss her, but stopped a few inches from her lips. She wanted so desperately to finish the kiss, but didn't.

The girls giggled again, thinking that Erik really had kissed Alex. He hadn't, even if he really wanted to. But the fact that he really wanted to was one of the main reasons he was sure not to.

Sophie had gone back to the house around twilight to find her book for Erik to read to them, since he read the best out of all of them. She came back with her Edgar Allan Poe book, and showed him the poem she wanted to hear.

"Hear the sledges with the bells-

Silver bells!" Erik read after all the girls had found a comfortable spot to listen. Elle and Sophie put his arms around them, while Chloe sat on his lap, and Alex put her head on his shoulder. It was a warm twilight feeling, and everyone was comfortable hearing Erik's smooth voice. "What a world of merriment their melody foretells!

How they…"

"Tinkle!" piped Elle

"Tinkle!" Piped Chloe

"Tinkle!" finished Sophie

"In the icy air of night! While the stars that over sprinkle

All the heavens, seem to twinkle

With a crystalline delight;

Keeping…"

"Time!" Sophie said

"Time!" Chloe echoed

"Time!" Elle finished.

"In a sort of runic rhyme, to the tintinnabulation that so musically wells

From the…"

"Bells!" Chloe began

"Bells!" came Elle

"Bells!" Sophie entered

"Bells!" Piped up Alex, who had enjoyed Erik's letting her daughter's join in the poem. That was very considerate of him; most people just read the poem by themselves.

"Bells! Bells! Bells!" All five of them said at once, causing the girls to giggle and Alex to smile at Erik.

"From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells. Hear the mellow wedding bells,

Golden bells!

What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!

Through the balmy air of night

How they ring out their delight!

From the molten-golden notes,

And an in tune,

What a liquid ditty floats

To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats

On the moon!

Oh, from out the sounding cells,

What a gush of euphony voluminously wells!"

"How it swells!

How it dwells" the girls piped up with big grins on their faces.

"On the Future! how it tells

Of the rapture that impels

To the swinging and the ringing"

"Of the Bells! Bells, bells,

Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells-!" Alex and the girls chimed along to Erik's almost musical reading, his voice soothing the words and making his girls feel relaxed and content.

"To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!" He finished the second part of the poem, and began the third. It was a long poem, but because he allowed the girls to come in when it came to continuous words like 'the bells' he made it fun, and it seemed to end all too quickly.

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****Yes! The girls are plotting to get their mother together with Erik! Oh, but will his past prevent any possible relationship with her? **


	23. Easter Sunday

**Easter Sunday**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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Erik was beginning to be relatively happy. Alex wasn't mad at him anymore, the girls looked up to him as their father figure, and he was slowly beginning to let Christine's memory fade. Slowly but surely Erik was recovering from his isolated life, and he couldn't be happier about it. 

But things began to turn sour when Erik went into town with Alex and the girls to pay respects to Thomas, as Alex always did on Sunday afternoons after the church let out. Erik was actually glad that Alex wasn't very religious, because he and god weren't exactly on first-class conditions.

They paid their respects to Thomas, and as Alex put some roses on his tombstone, they were surprised by the reverend. Erik hated being in the presence of a holy man, mostly because he felt he was a demon himself. But somehow, the girls had changed his mind about that.

"Hello Alex" Reverend Steenwyck greeted warmly. Steenwyck was a short man, reaching to Erik's shoulders, and always seen garbed in his black and white robe and with a cross around his neck. "Haven't seen you in church for a while."

"Because I haven't been coming," Alex answered him politely. "Your man and I aren't on very good terms."

"Well, I hope you'll come to the Easter sermon. It's supposed to be a good one, since we're having a famous opera singer lead the choir. The only problem is that we need a baritone, and no one has auditioned for it."

"Erik!" Elle piped. "Didn't you say you were in the opera?"

"Really now?" Steenwyck said, raising his red-fading-into-white eyebrow. "Are you good?"

"He's the _best_!" Elle boasted. "He sings to us every night and he's real good!"

"I wouldn't say that." Erik modestly said; he knew he shouldn't draw too much attention to himself since the fire, besides; he was just getting comfortable with Alex and her brood, he didn't want to be uprooted again.

"Do you want to audition for the baritone role?" Steenwyck asked him, he was very desperate for a baritone, because they had to start rehearsals right away, and they had already paid their opera singer large sums of money. Erik wanted to, but he didn't know if it would be right, he _really_ didn't want to have to leave Alex and her girls if who he was came out. But after he thought about it, what were the odds that it would?

"I don't see why not" Erik replied, glancing between Alex and the reverend. Gratefully, the reverend thanked him, and took him into the church at the far end of the cemetery to audition; Alex and her girls were invited to watch.

Erik's voice was so angelic that it moved the reverend to tears. Erik would admit, it did feel nice to sing again, he hadn't sung like that in what felt like ages, and it was good to get his voice out once more.

Immediately, Erik was given the part nobody auditioned for. He was the baritone, thanks to his voice that could be at any range and still sound heavenly. Steenwyck had allowed Erik to wear his mask when he sang, after having been explained to that the mask couldn't be taken off.

* * *

On Easter day, Alex figited to get ready for church. 

"Comb your hair!" She insisted at Erik, who had combed it at least six times. Growling with irritation, she snatched the comb out of his hands and combed it herself.

"Why are you being like this?" Erik asked as she tugged at his hair. "You never care if my hair is combed or not."

"We're going to church Erik" She told him icily as she slammed his comb down on the counter of the kitchen where they were, and began to use a clean plate as a mirror to put her lipstick on. "And the town frowns on me enough as it is. A single mother in this town isn't exactly social etiquette. They're probably frowning even more that I live with an unmarried man." Erik rolled his eyes skyward as he left Alex to finish getting ready to go, and he was _so_ glad that they only planned on going to church this one time.

Alex sat right in front at the church with her girls on her lap, and Bryan at her side, whispering complaints that he wanted to go back home and sleep.

"This is why you don't screw around when I told you weeks in advance that we were here to watch Erik." She heard him mumble some swear words under his breath, as Erik went out to sing along with the choir.

But when he got out in front of everyone, he saw that the opera singer that the church had hired for the sermon was none other than La Carlotta.

He could see the look of shock on her face, she obviously recognized him from the night of Don Juan triumphant, but she didn't scream, or say anything. She just turned her gaze back to the audience and smiled. Erik rolled his eyes as they began singing along with the choir, Carlotta always did care more about her career than her own life.

When Erik had to dip Carlotta while she sang, her loud, piercing voice made his ears pop. A very uncomfortable feeling, but luckily it only lasted a few seconds, and then he could hear again.

But all the while Erik feared for himself, Carlotta knew who he was and what he had done. One word from her and he would be in prison, away from Alex and the girls. From the women who made it their personal job to bring him out of the darkness, no, he couldn't be taken away from them just as he was beginning to see the light.

Erik couldn't let that happen, not on his life. Not after a lifetime of ridicule and loneliness. He finally found people who cared enough for him not to let him die in the middle of the brook when they didn't even know his name. The people he'd started out so cruel to, but had ended up finding a home with.

The sermon went great, and Erik and Carlotta left the front of the choir to go into two separate rooms in the back when all of it was over. Carlotta had to change into her regular clothes, and Erik had to put his original black mask on.

Erik had slipped out of his room, and into Carlotta's where, she was just finishing putting her gown on. Quickly, Erik found a rope and locked it around her throat. As she struggled to escape his strangling grasp, Erik whispered:

"I've nothing against you personally, but I _cannot_ let you take away what I found."

He finished up the job, and quickly returned to his room, just in time for Alex, the girls, and Bryan to come in and offer him their congratulations on an awesome job.

But when the reverend went to congratulate Carlotta, they found her sprawled out on the floor, dead.

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**Oh em gee! Dun di dun dun duuuunnn!**


	24. If only, if only

**If Only, If Only**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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He tried not to look or act guilty of the crime. Because he knew that if Alex ever found out what he did; he would be out of her house and life so fast he wouldn't have time to blink. 

Sadly, he hadn't thought of _that _before he committed the evil deed. He hadn't shut himself away from the family like he wanted to, he wanted to hide his guilt and himself away in his room, contemplating what he'd done.

Normally it wasn't that big of a deal to him when he killed someone, but he'd killed someone in a church; so that alone was going to damn him to hell. But not only that, but he'd killed someone after he wanted to start a new life with the Turner family.

He could have been happy there, hiding away until he found complete happiness. But not anymore, he should have just left while everyone was asleep, because he knew that no matter how close he got to them, they would lose their affection for him the second they found out.

Even though he knew how awful he was, he couldn't let on that he'd done anything wrong. If he did, and they interrogated Alex, she would mention his odd behavior, and he would be on the first ride to prison. But he wasn't worried about jail, or anything like that.

He was worried that he'd lose the only people who cared about him.

Sure, they didn't care for the _Phantom_, but they cared for Erik; and that was enough for him. That was what he wanted, to be loved for himself.

Carlotta's death had been in the papers, and Alex was shocked to hear about the death. As they set together in the kitchen on the day they were interrogated, Alex was reading the paper.

Everyone else was enjoying breakfast, and Erik was doing his best to keep a normal appearance, so she wouldn't think he did anything wrong.

"Hmm...This is interesting…" Alex mumbled.

"What is it Alexie?" Bryan asked, forking some egg into his mouth, just barely missing his mouth, and having to slurp some of the white part into his mouth.

"It says here that Carlotta was found dead in her dressing room." Erik directed his eyes at her, still attempting to hide his minor guilt. "Strangled to death apparently."

"Do they know who did it?" Bryan asked before he took big gulping drinks of the milk Alex gave him. She shook her head.

"There were no clues." Alex informed him, perching her glass at her lips so that she might drink from it. "Erik, wasn't Carlotta in Paris for a while?"

"Yes" He answered.

"Did you know her well? Being the manager and all"

"All I knew was that she was a spoiled Diva. I mostly just tried to keep my distance from her." He said as he attempted to hurry with his breakfast without seeming suspicious at all. Alex took his answer, and didn't even notice that he was preoccupied with seeming inconspicuous.

Later that afternoon, while Alex was reading in the living room with Lena resting beside her, a knock came at her door. Being excited, Lena jumped off her side and began to bark wildly at the door until Alex told her to stop.

Alex opened the door to two police officers, both clad in black, with badges thrust out at her.

"Hello Mademoiselle, we're here to ask some questions about Carlotta Gudichelli's death."

"Why? We didn't even _know_ her. Or well- My brother, daughters and I don't. But our tenant does, or he did."

"Tenant, Mademoiselle?"

"Yes, we rent a room to this man who does odd jobs for me. He said he was a manager at the Opera House until some maniac burned it down, and scarred the poor man's face." The two men looked at each other, and then to Alex. "What's this man's name?"

"…I think you should talk to him. He might not have wanted anyone to know about his burn, he's terribly sensitive about it."

"I would imagine so." Officer one said to her. "Might we speak with him?"

"Sure, hold on. Come in, ERIK!" She called up from her spot. Within a few minutes, the masked man was down in the living room, and stopped short by the police. His mind racing with questions, he worried that they'd found out that he killed Carlotta, or that he was the phantom with the phenomenally large bounty on his head.

"What's going on?" Erik asked shakily, trying to hide his own strain in voice, and doing it so very well.

"Monsieur, we're investigating the death of Carlotta Gudichelli, this Mademoiselle said that you knew her."

"Her name is Alex" Erik cleared up "and yes, I did know Carlotta while I was managing the opera house. Dreadful woman really, very loud and spoiled; like a big red-head poodle. But I assure you, I only knew her professionally, and had no desire to kill her."

"That's right" Alex defended. "Erik isn't capable of killing anyone; he's got a good heart, and would never be able to." Erik wanted her to be right, he wanted to know that what she was saying was true, but in fact; it wasn't. He wasn't a good man, he had a bad heart, and he was capable of killing someone.

"Was there any tension at all between you and Madam Gudichelli?"

"None whatsoever, Sure she was spoiled, but I did my best at staying away from her." Erik answered, sounding confident and truthful in his answer. The officers believed him, and so did Alex. God- why did he have to be such a good liar?

"…and your face Monsieur? 'Alex' said you burned it during the opera house fire?"

"This is correct." Erik said to him with poise. "I tried to get out you see, but I was burned in the face by a flaming piece of the curtain that had swung at me in the confusion."

"Thank you Monsieur, sorry to bother you Mademoiselle" Said officer two as he and his partner left the residence, and proceeded to bark up the wrong tree for answers. Alex turned to Erik, giving him a smile.

"Sorry you had to do that." She said to him. "I know how sensitive you are about the accident; I hoped to spare you of having to speak of it."

"Think nothing of it." Erik told her, wishing he could tell her much more. "I'm just glad the suspicion isn't on us, I don't think I would want your family to suffer because I worked with the woman." Erik turned to head back up stairs, but was stopped by Alex, and given a hug.

"You're a good man Erik," and then released him. Her face was red, and his was turning the same shade, quickly she resumed her book as if nothing was wrong.

Erik, feeling guiltier than ever, sighed as he went up stairs.

_If only you knew…_

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**Boom boom ba! Hihi ya! Enjoyed the chapter did you? Well, I enjoyed your reveiwes! And Damn it! I'm SO proud of how this chapter came to close :D**


	25. Virus

**Virus**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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Erik arose to a strange new morning. His guilt had long subsided, he concentrated only on keeping Alex from knowing the truth, should she find out; he knew that his life was over, and that one thought gave him a shot of confusion. 

Well anyway, when he woke up that morning, there was no smell of breakfast swiftly wafting through the home, ready to greet him. He rose from his bed, and quietly exited his room.

He went to the kitchen, and there was no one. The girls hadn't been woken up, Bryan was sleeping his day away, and Alex was no where to be found.

"Odd" Erik said to himself as he went to find Alex.

He knocked on her bedroom, and heard her tiredly groan "Come in…"

So he did, he went in and saw she was curled up in her bed, with her head under the blankets.

"Alex, are you feeling alright? You're usually up and about by now." But when he got closer, he saw she wasn't OK. She had her blankets tightly around her, and looked as if she hadn't gotten any sleep at all the night before. She was occasionally coughing, and when Erik felt her skin, it was like she was on fire. "Alex…you're sick" She slowly nodded in her pillow. "OK, I'll let you get some sleep." She quietly thanked him and once again buried her head in the pillow.

She did get to sleep, and when she woke up, she woke up just in time to see Erik coming into her room with a steaming cup of cinnamon tea. He placed it on the end table near her bed, and frankly, he was a lot nicer to her than he really was.

"I got the girls up and fed, Bryan is taking them into town to get some medicine for your cough, and he told me to stay behind and take care of you." Erik told her before she could ask him anything. She nodded tiredly and sat up long enough to take a few drinks of her tea, and then fall back down.

In her mind, Alex loved Erik taking care of her. It was a nice change from the vise versa, and when he wanted to, Erik could actually have a tender touch. If he wanted to be nice to her, he was very seductive, but when he was rude, angry, and silent; he was the opposite.

Erik wanted to admit to liking Alex being sick, he never got a chance to be close to her like he was, and the one other time he did, he'd kissed her and ruined it. But he wouldn't that time, mostly because she was sick, and he didn't think she'd want to.

But he did notice that even though she was under the weather, Alex was still pretty. Even when her face fell from lack of comfortable sleep, and her hair fell in her face, he still could see a pretty girl.

What had shocked him most was that he hadn't thought about Christine that whole day. Every day before that one, her image would creep into his mind either when he was getting up, or when he was getting ready to face another day without her.

Frankly, he liked not thinking about her. He no longer felt the longing in his heart to have her with him, to live in a normal house with her and have normal little children. Somehow, that image seemed less important since he had somehow worked his way into the hearts of Alex's daughters, and more or less the whole Tuner family. Bryan was still skeptical about him though, but not very much since Alex had explained to him that Erik didn't hurt Thomas.

Alex did like Erik, but refused to admit to herself that she was developing feelings for him. She didn't want to put herself up again to be hurt, but the longer Erik stayed at her bedside, taking care of her in her bad health, she began to yearn to let her guards down and let him in.

Truthfully Erik didn't know what he was feeling for Alex. He knew it wasn't love, because it was different than what he felt for Christine. But he did enjoy the days he got to spend with her and her daughters, and he held that day in the brook close to his heart. Because that was when he finally felt normal, where people didn't judge him by his mask, and allowed him to feel what it felt like to be a normal man with a normal family.

But it defiantly wasn't love. What he was feeling for Alex was so different than what he felt for Christine, and when he lay awake at night, trying to decide what word it was that described what he had in his heart for Alex; Love just didn't seem like a good word. It wasn't strong enough, he couldn't even find a word for what he was feeling for Alex, but he loved Christine.

"Hey Erik…" Alex broke the silence, her voice straining from her constant coughing. It was a common flu bug, and it would be gone in a few days or so. "…what was it like at the opera house?"

"Busy" He told her gently, his voice stroking each word gently as he pulled her hair back behind her ear gently, and sent a shock of ecstasy through her veins. "All the people were always doing something, weither the chorus girls were practicing, or being ogled by the stage hands. Carlotta was screaming at everyone to do as she said or she would leave, and Christine Daae even took her place once." Erik had said Christine's name, and yet, he'd said it so casually, like any other woman's name. He saw Alex's nose wrinkle.

"I don't like Christine much. I read about her marriage to the Vicomte De Changy in the papers, and she looked like an airhead. Her hair was too thick, and she looked like a shallow person. But I know not to judge people just by appearances."

"You'd be right though." Erik replied to her, accidentally sounding seductive and…happy… "She was shallow. I knew her, and she cared only about appearances."

"How did you know her?"

"I was the manager Alex" He said sweetly, putting his face close to her's, and touching her hair. As if he was trying to seduce her. Even if he wasn't, he was doing one hell of a good job at it. "I knew everyone who ever came into the Opera Populaire."

"Sounds like a glorious place to work." Alex commented. "You get to make art come alive for people." Erik shook his head, resisting every urge in his body to lean over and give her a simple kiss on her cheek. He wasn't trying to be sweet or seductive; he wasn't trying to win her heart, even though he could if he would only try.

"Not all the time, Trust me, I like working here and for you a lot more." He saw her face fall into a deep crimson shade, and somehow, he wanted to darken the shade. To make her blush deeper, and to see how red her face could get. But he knew what doing that would mean, and he just couldn't do that.

"Erik…I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure"

"I'm having a guest over in a few days, we need to tie up some loose ends and all; and I would just feel better if you were here. Would you mind…staying in the kitchen with us and keeping an eye on me?"

"Of course I wouldn't mind." Erik told her, feeling her gently brush her fingers along his knuckles. "Who's the guest?"

"…Bernard"

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Yes here's my update! I'm glad everyone is enjoying this fic so much. When I started it, I wasn't sure if people would like it. I'm glad to say I'm pleasantly surprised.

**Yay for my reviewers who are soooooooo awesome and sooooooooo loyal!**


	26. Some stories should never be told

**Some stories should never be told**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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Frankly, he hated watching Alex. I mean- he liked to watch over her, but he hated how she was acting around her ex-husband who had an affair when he had a perfectly wonderful family at home, and a beautiful wife to have. 

She was- friendly.

Alex acted as if she was going over the divorce with her best friend, and not her ex-husband. Erik had to stay with them in the kitchen and make sure Bernard didn't try anything funny on her; and that responsibility he enjoyed.

But he didn't like how chummy she was getting with someone who'd broken her heart.

Bernard was handsome, but Erik only saw him as the man who hurt Alex. He had thick brown hair tied into a rat-tail, he had some small brown prickles of hair on his chin, and he looked very refined.

Yet- with the right hair-style, he could look like the kind of cheating bastard who would cheat on his impregnated soon-to-be ex-wife.

Erik felt bad for Alex, she had a lot of money from her books, and Bernard would take a good chunk of it from her in the divorce.

But he knew that her talent wouldn't subside, and that she would get it back in a few months or so.

"Who's he?" Bernard asked Alex in a hushed tone.

"That's Erik, the one I'm renting the room to." Erik over heard what she said, and it kind of made him sad. He was still 'the one I'm renting the room to.' But then again, he didn't want to be any more. Did he? He surely didn't want to be called 'my friend' or 'my lover'.

He left the room for a moment, and during that time, he'd missed the part of the conversation he desperately needed to hear.

"Are you sure it's safe? Renting a room to a stranger?"

"Erik has saved Chloe's life Bernard, sure- we've had some arguments, but nothing to severe. He's actually very good company. He acts like he's a badass, but I know he isn't. I like him."

"Like you liked me?"

"No" She snapped quickly. "_You_ were merely an infatuation, I'm…interested in Erik." Bernard snickered at her as Erik came back into the room and resumed his watching over her like an overprotective Phantom. "Did I forget to tell you I had a baby?"

"With…?"

"No" She snapped as quickly as before, if not quicker. "You're baby, another one. We had a son Bernard, a little boy I named Thomas."

"Where is he then?" Bernard asked ecstatically. "I want to see my son." But he saw her face fall, and her head shake.

"He's dead Bernard. He died a while back, in February. We don't know _how_, but he did." She saw Bernard's expression change, but it wasn't to that of sorrow. It was somewhere in-between shock and dismay. An odd expression, but it was his.

"Alex…I'm sorry."

_Yeah, I'll bet you are_ Erik thought bitterly to himself as Alex accepted his apology, and they continued with the divorce papers. Erik really hated Bernard, and yet- not as much as he hated Raoul. The hatred of Raoul was unfathomable, but Bernard's hatred was just a bubbling jealousy.

"Alex, I want to bring something up." Bernard said, hoping Erik had another reason to leave the room so he could talk to Alex privately. But he didn't, and he already had Alex's attention. "Do you really want to do this? The divorce I mean."

"Obviously,." She said to him, knowing it was true, but then again reconsidering her own decision.

"Because I don't, I miss you Alex." Alex could see Erik had a very angry look on his face, like he was suppressing the urge to smack Bernard away from Alex, and to keep her from getting hurt again, but he didn't.

"You had me before Bernard." Alex snapped at him. "You had me and our girls, but apparently that wasn't enough. I'm not going back there, I'm not doing that again."

"How can you suddenly hate me so much?"

"How can I--? YOU SLEPT WITH A WHORE! HOW CAN I _NOT_ HATE YOU?!" She'd erupted, and Erik enjoyed watching it. He'd enjoyed seeing her stand up to Bernard, and bellow her hatred at him.

"You're right!" Bernard bellowed back, Erik- he was long forgotten about. But he was watching the fight as if he'd paid to see it. "I did sleep with a whore--- YOU!"

"OK that's it" Erik snapped at Bernard, going up to him and holding him by the collar. "You're done here." And he threw Bernard out.

He saw Alex again, her face was white; and her eyes had dark circles around them.

"Don't pay any attention to him Alex" Erik quickly tried to comfort her. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. You're not a whore." She gave her attention to him, and then shook her head.

"Erik, please, don't say that. Not until you understand." Erik raised an eyebrow.

"What does that mean?"

"That some stories should never be told."

Erik watched her quietly stalk up to her room, and he wanted to run after her, to demand to know the story that shouldn't be told. He let his want get the best of him, and he did follow her. He followed her into her room and asked her what she meant.

"C'mon Alex" Erik attempted to persuade. "I know you, you shouldn't be brought down so easily by that mild insult. I've called you worse and you never react like this. Tell me why this hurts so much more. You can tell me." But she refused.

"Just leave me alone." She insisted, but he refused. He kept badgering her to tell him why Bernard calling her a whore was so bad, and eventually, she cracked down and told him the whole story.

"I was just barely a teenager then. I was curious about things Erik- Just like all teenagers. Bryan had taken it upon himself to take care of me when we got here, he purchased a smaller house where we lived until I got married and he went off to London.

I regret it Erik, I swear to god that if I knew it would come back to haunt me I never would have done it, I shouldn't have."

"What did you do Alex?" Erik asked, sitting at her side, and trying not to be seductive, but he kept his hand on her back.

"I-I slept with someone besides Bernard."

"Were you married?" Erik asked, not yet finding out what was so bad about it. She shook her head.

"Not yet, I was going to be, but I wasn't. Actually I was one of Bernard's whores before we got married and I became a writer. I don't even know who the man was, but I'd slept with him for money, and a few weeks later I found out I was pregnant, and I trusted Bernard to keep the secret."

"Did he?" She nodded.

"Yes, until now he did. Back then he promised he would take care of me. You don't know what it was like being barely fourteen and being pregnant with a stranger's child. There is no way to support yourself as a whore, let alone a baby. I-I couldn't provide for it. And for a few months I hadn't heard from Bernard. I continued my work, saving every penny I didn't have to pay a local gang to keep me safe. I hoped to god I could earn enough money to save me and my baby before it was too late." Erik waited eagerly for her to continue, her story truly was sad, although not _quite_ what he'd expected.

"What happened?"

"Well- in my fifth month, Bernard showed up again. He told me he had a plan to get me out of the trouble I was in. He made me commit the ultimate sacrifice Erik."

"What?"

"He made me kill my baby." She choked back a sob. "He made me get an abortion, telling me that I'd kill the baby anyway, that an abortion was more humane. He took me to a warehouse in a back ally, and some man took me into a room with a metal table, it was cold, and he injected my stomach with some weird liquid. I still refer to it as baby poison…" She bit her lip as her story came to a close, and was surprised that Erik had maneuvered her so that she was sobbing into the collar of his shirt. "…I could feel it dying Erik, god- I cried when I felt it die. I was begging the man to stop it, to make the baby come back- but it was gone. Bernard grabbed me by the arms, and took me away."

"Alex…that must have been awful, I'm sorry." He told her gently, wiping her tears off her face as they fell. "But listen, everyone has a past they're not proud of. Some people have a past that otherwise made them want to kill themselves, but Alex- that's what it is. It was a past, not your future. Now you've got three beautiful girls, and a loving brother. It makes up for back then Alex, trust me." She nodded, and thanked him, even though her voice was inaudible.

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**Omg Alex was a whore! But luckily she's OK now, and oooo FLUFF :D**


	27. Her Marriage to Erik

**Her Marriage to Erik**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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Alex's fingers glided gracefully over the numerous keys on her typewriter, weaving the tale she'd been working on for the past few months. It usually took her three months to write the book, and then another two months to go over it and make sure it was what she wanted, and then three more months to re-write it. 

"Alex" She turned her head towards the smooth voice; and saw Erik standing in the doorway holding a cup of tea. "I thought you might be thirsty."

"Thank you" Alex said as he sat the cup of tea down on the desk, and slid his arms around her shoulders.

"When can I read some?"

"In about…five minutes. It's all the time girls have given me,"

"Oh, ok, I won't bother you then," She smiled as he slid his mouth over her's, and slowly left her to work. She smiled as the feeling of his mouth faded from her's, and her fingers began to rapidly type to get the chapter done in five minutes.

When her time came to a close, and as her tea went down to its last drink, she went into the kitchen, and saw her three daughters climbing all over Erik. But then she caught something that made her have to stop and think a moment.

Erik held a baby in his arms.

He was smiling at the baby that was obviously another girl, he was laughing with Alex's daughters, and when he looked up; he saw Alex standing there, examining the baby.

She didn't know why she began to walk to him, with a smile on her face. She stood on her tip toes to place a kiss on his lips, and then she tickled the baby under the chin. It giggled madly and started waving its little baby arms in the air.

"C'mon daddy!" Chimed the triplets "Let's play outside!"

"You're needed Erik" Alex joked, lifting the baby out of his arms. "Have fun." She saw a grin pass his face that she never thought she'd see. He leaned in to kiss her before following the triplets outside so he could join in their games.

Alex stood on the back porch with her little baby girl in her arms while Erik joined in her daughters' games. They were tiny, childish games that he enjoyed only because his girls were playing them. Had any other children asked him to play those games, he wouldn't have agreed to.

The baby had black hair like Alex, but she had eyes that were blue like orbs. She looked like she was four months old at that time, and had a yearning in her eyes to join Erik and her sisters in their games.

She even had some teeth poking through her gums a little. They were teeny, tiny, white little pearls against her gums, and she'd been teething for a while obviously.

Alex happened to glance down at the arm holding the baby's head up, and saw she was once again wearing a golden band around her fourth finger on her right hand. Except it wasn't a normal band, around it was engraved: "E+A"

Smiling to herself, she cradled the baby. E+A obviously meant she was married to Erik. Strangely enough, she wasn't as horrified at the idea as she should have been. He did love her daughters; he never lied to her or anything terrible. He sure as hell never slept with a bimbo, He was nice, and maybe being married to him wasn't as awful as she assumed it would be.

Later that night, Alex put the baby to bed as Erik said goodnight to Chloe, Elle, and Sophie. When Alex finished putting the baby to bed, Erik went to say goodnight to the baby, and Alex went to say goodnight to Chloe, Elle, and Sophie.

After the girls were put the bed, and the baby was fast asleep in her cradle, Alex went into her bedroom. Erik wasn't there until after she'd changed into her nightgown. He locked his arms around her neck and gave her a kiss on her neck.

"I love you" She smiled, turned around and locked her arms around his neck. He glided his lips over her mouth slowly, taking in her taste.

"I love you too Erik." She cooed sweetly, it sounded strange coming from her; but then again, she liked how strange it felt. Erik could feel her slide her hands into his fluffy white shirt, and around his waist.

It took them a little while, but eventually they both ended up in bed, enjoying the pleasures that only the other could give them.

Alex's eyes slid open. Her bedroom was dark, and her bed was empty. She climbed out of her bed quickly, put her robe on over her nightgown, and went into the nursery. It was empty, just as Thomas had left it.

She even went to check in on Erik, who was sleeping soundly.

Her happy marriage to Erik was only a dream.

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**Short but ah well!**


	28. Rooftop

**Rooftop**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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Dinner that night was deathly quiet. Erik kept looking towards the girls with an irritated expression on his face. No one but them noticed though, and only Elle was looking away from him, unable to meet his gaze. 

"Well," Erik finally said, breaking the stillness. "The girls and I certainly had an interesting day."

"How so?" Alex asked before taking a drink of water from her cup. The girls gave him a desperate look, but he went on anyway.

"We went to the park today, I really didn't want to but the girls insisted it. We were almost ready to leave when I caught one of them beating the hell out of Tabitha Parker's boy." Tabitha Parker was the town's overly-religious mother. She disliked the fact that Alex was living in sin with Erik, even though they had tried to get it through her head that nothing was going on. To her- if you weren't related, it was sin to live with a man you're not married to.

"Chloe!" Alex judged, grabbing the attention of her tomboy daughter.

"Not me mother" Chloe told her, nodding her head towards Sophie.

"Sophie?"

"You're getting warmer." That left only one daughter who could have beat Tabitha's son.

"Elle?!" Alex saw Elle's head hang, showing that she was in fact- the guilty one. "This is something I'd expect from Chloe, but not you. Why'd you..?"

"It wasn't my fault!" She argued quickly. "It was Spencer! He made fun of us!"

"How?"

"He said his momma said you were—a bad word."

"What bad word?"

"…what you call those ladies Uncle Bryan comes home with sometimes." The word- was whore. Alex realized that right away, since she always called Bryan's women whores, since that was what they were.

Elle didn't get in trouble for beating on Spencer Parker, since Alex saw why she'd done it. Frankly, had Tabitha been there- she'd have beat her up too. It wasn't Tabitha's place to say how Alex lived her life, and it didn't matter that she wasn't married to Erik, because they had _nothing_ going on between them anyway.

By that time, the ice had come once more, and Alex found solace in sitting on her roof. It was peaceful on the roof; not only that but it was a soothing place to sort things out in her head. She had been positive that nothing was going on between her and Erik; nothing ever would. He was only a paying guest, and she was his proprietor. That was it.

However, the more she thought on it, the more she wished it could be different. Maybe- like her dream- it would be a happy marriage. Maybe he would be a good husband and a good step-father to her daughters. Obviously enough that was what they wanted, but nothing could be done until both Erik and Alex agreed that they should.

She closed her eyes a moment, feeling the icy air against her exposed arms and sliding up and down her gown wherever the air could get in. She shivered slightly, maybe she should not have gone up there when it was so cold.

After some moments of shivering, she felt warm wool on her shoulders. She opened her eyes and turned around to see Erik had placed a blanket on her. He stood beside her, with his arms crossed.

"You're going to catch you're death out here." He told her, watching her hug the blanket against herself and nod at him.

"You seem to nearly catch you're death no matter what you do." Alex smartly replied, referring to his constant accidents where he ends up tethered to his bed for a number of weeks. "Were you always so clumsy?"

"Not always." He joked. But then again- it was the truth. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

"Nothing" she told him truthfully. "Just thinking is all."

"About what?" After he'd asked what she was thinking of, she realized how much he'd come out of his shell. When he first came to live with them, he'd been reserved, and unhappy about spending time with them. But as the year or so pressed on- he seemed to care more about Alex, her daughters, and even her brother a little.

"Nothing important." She said, still feeling the chill of the wind underneath the blanket, but unwilling to admit it. She also wouldn't admit that she'd been considering what it would be like to be with him, and not in the sense of just being in a room with him.

"You're not too angry with Elle are you? I mean- from the sounds of it, that little spoiled brat had it coming." Alex nodded in agreement with him.

"He did, and so does his mother." She said with a grin.

Erik ended up just sitting on the roof with Alex, neither of them saying a word. But they were both thinking the same thing; would they be happy if they were together? Erik knew that- thanks to Alex- he had begun to feel less like a monster, and more like a person. Thanks to her- he no longer looked at killing like a sport, or as something to do that would teach someone else a lesson. No, thanks to her and her daughters- he didn't think he _could_ kill another man.

It wasn't until Alex caught him shivering- though trying to be subtle- that she offered him a piece of the blanket. It was big enough for them both, and it wasn't until he'd accepted it, that she'd gotten that close of a look at him.

He was very lean, and well toned. But at the same time he was wiry and skinny. He had some truffles of chest hair; and he had strong shoulders. She'd only noticed his body once- when she'd walked in on him in the bath- but she was unable to get a good look.

She found herself wanting to put her head on his shoulder, and take in his body heat. He looked like he would be a warm man, comfortable and loving. She wanted so desperately to cuddle up to him, and be warmed up by him instead of the blanket.

But alas- she didn't. She refrained from giving into her desires, with only the knowledge that it couldn't work. She was sure Erik didn't feel the same about her, and that being married again wouldn't work out. She would have the same marital problems she had with Bernard.

And she couldn't go through that again.

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**W00t! I finally updated! Sorry it took so long. Writer's block ya know?**


	29. Let you're fantasies unwind

**Let you're fantasies unwind**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

During the weeks that followed the night they sat together on the rooftop, Erik and Alex couldn't help but keep sending looks at the other. But those looks were sent when the other wasn't looking, they must have looked like a pair of love-struck school kids.

No one else in the house noticed it but them, and they tried to hide it from the other. Neither of them expected their relationship to work, but none the less they tried to assume their old relationship; but that didn't mean it kept them from thinking about it.

Erik's mind- which had previously been filled with thoughts of Christine- had been overtaken by feelings for Alex. She'd seen his face and acted as if it was nothing at all except a normal face. His only set-back was the fact that he'd been lying to her. Ever since he met her he's been weaving one terrible lie after another to cover his tracks. He wasn't sure if he could be with Alex if he was always lying to her.

Alex- one the other hand- did have feelings for Erik, but she was afraid that if they got together, it would be like her last marriage. He would cheat on her, get her pregnant, and leave. That was something she couldn't do again, but as she secretly looked at him from across the dinner table, she- somehow- was willing to take that chance. He'd opened up to her, he'd become a part of her family.

That night after dinner, Alex collected the dishes off the table and began to wash them in the kitchen. Erik had been taken into the girls' playroom to give them their music lessons. Bryan stayed behind with his sister to help her clean up after dinner.

Once the dishes were clean, the girls were in bed, and Bryan too had taken to his bed for the night, Alex approached Erik with a proposition.

"I'm going out for a walk…" She said to him timidly. "…would you like to join me?" Erik was shocked at her question, but agreed to go. He wanted some time to have her all to himself, even if he knew that nothing would happen.

Together they walked to the lake where the girls had been taken swimming each summer. It seemed so much more beautiful though, when the water had frozen over and the snow crunched beneath their feet.

Alex had a shawl on over her dress, and Erik had a coat. It was a freezing cold night, and Erik couldn't figure out why Alex would want to go out in such terrible cold.

"Why do you like it out here in the cold so much?"

"I don't know really, it's just soothing I guess. Frankly, I'd rather be cold than hot." Erik nodded, that didn't answer his question much, but he saw her logic for why she wanted to be out in the snow.

But none the less, it was a beautiful night, and as they approached the lake; they couldn't help but notice how attractive the other was. They'd actually noticed it earlier in time, but it was brought up again under the moonlight and within the whirling snowflakes.

Alex tapped her foot on the bank of the lake, and then took it back.

"It'd try and walk on it, but I don't know how thick the ice is." She told him, trying to break the silence and trying to forget her attraction to the man standing with her. Erik just nodded to her statement, unsure of what exactly to say to her. All he could think about was how attracted to her he was at the moment, and he could hardly believe that two years-or so- ago he thought she was homely and held no candle to Christine. But at that point- he wasn't so sure.

They stood together on the rim of the lake, trying to both keep warm and to keep their desires under control. But like suppressed rage, suppressed desire needs to be expressed, and they wanted to dearly to take a plunge. To go past the point of no return and start to feel romance again.

It wasn't long before their self-control gave way, and they lunged at the other. It surprised both of them that the other had made the exact same movement at the exact same time, just like the last time their mouths met.

Erik slowly moved his arms around her waist as she slid her arms around his neck, they could hardly hold back, all they could do was remind themselves of what they were doing- and even that wasn't enough.

They were warmed up immediately as a blush crept up their necks and threatened their faces, as they let down all defenses and allowed themselves to taste the sweetness that happiness brings. If only for a moment, they let themselves forget the problems they had in romance in the past, and just focused right then on undoing some of their more…appropriate fantasies.

Before long, they pulled away again, their faces stricken with a light pink color. They each bit on the inside of their bottom lips, wondering what would happen next. They were both too afraid to try it again, because they were pushing their luck as it was. Sooner or later the other had to get irritated or angry with them for their advances.

"I-I'm sorry" Alex began quickly, her face becoming a salmon color, which was a mixture of the icy air and her embarrassment. But Erik was shaking his head.

"Don't be." And he pushed his mouth against her's again. He partly expected her to push him away, but instead she allowed it, and returned it.

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**Sorry it's so short, Eck…writer's block again. I threw this in here because it was the only thing I could think of to do. But I think it turned out pretty good.**


	30. Friends is not enough

**Friends is not enough**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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Alex's comfortable sleep was penetrated by the sun peeking through her curtains. She groaned a little and turned over in hopes of finding solace on another side of the bed. She hated that morning, all she wanted to do was sleep. 

_What have I done now?_ She asked herself as she lay in bed, the memory of what had happened echoing in the darkest recesses of her mind.

It was the very thing she was afraid of. The thing she tried to avoid. She'd let her guard down, and now she was vulnerable, something that hurt her to realize.

She'd always been in control of the relationships she's been in, which only amounted to Bernard and Erik. But her relationship with Erik had been strictly business, now- now she's gone and ruined what they had. A simple friendship of good-natured teasing back and forth.

They couldn't be like that anymore, not with what they did in mind. Sighing, she sat up in bed and quickly realized that her housecoat had been laid out for her. She blinked and then smiled softly.

_That was sweet of him._ She thought as she reached for her housecoat, swung it over her shoulders, and went into her master bathroom to bathe.

Once she was clean, she went into her room and picked out underwear, and a white and red striped dress. She put it on, and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Just once" She said to herself before brushing her hair, remembering how it all began that night.

They were at the lake, and had been kissing. Maybe it was the atmosphere of the night, or maybe it was all the desire and lust they had built up, but they needed to expel all they had been building up for each other, and it was Alex who had said what she wanted.

Somehow, they ended up at home, in front of the fireplace at first, trying to be quiet so they wouldn't wake anyone in the house. Maybe it was that very thing they were trying to refrain from that made it so deliciously dangerous. Had one of the girls caught them, they'd be scarred for life. Had Bryan caught them- Erik would be a dead man.

But they moved from the living room, up to the bedroom where they finished off the lovemaking. It was hot, steamy, and the best Alex ever had. It was the _only_ Erik ever had, so there for the best.

However, that night had ended, and all they had was the memory. She couldn't believe she let him in so easily, she'd worked so hard to build up a fine line between them, and in one night they destroyed what she'd built up for two years.

It didn't matter anymore, they already did it, and it isn't like they could go back and she could change her mind. They did what they did, and that was it. No use beating herself up over it, it was done and that was it.

She faced the door, took a deep breath, and went out into the hallway. She went down to the kitchen to see Erik had made breakfast for the girls, Bryan, and Alex. When he saw her he gave her a secret look before joining the girls and Bryan for breakfast.

"Look whose finally up" Bryan commented as Alex took her place at the table, poking at her breakfast. "It's not like you to sleep in."

"I had a bit of trouble sleeping" She said, giving a look to Erik that made him have to stifle a grin.

Breakfast was otherwise silent, other than the girls chattering among themselves, no one really said anything. Except at the end of breakfast, Bryan stood form his place and announced that he had some things to do that day, most of which required money and a woman he met a few weekends ago. Alex rolled her eyes as Bryan left, and the girls went out back to play with Lena. Leaving her all alone with Erik.

Quietly, she stood up and picked up all the plates- except Erik's- off the table and put them in the sink. As she washed the egg off one plate, she heard him quickly finish his breakfast, and put the plate in the sink. After the plate hit the other plates with a loud and annoying cling noise, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. Sending a tightness through her chest, and a twinge through her body.

Neither of them knew what to say. Perhaps that's why sex was easier done than talked about. If he said that he had a great time, he would sound crude and simple, but if he didn't say anything at all; he couldn't tell her how much he enjoyed the night before. Something had to be said, he just wasn't sure what.

"I can honestly say you surprised me last night." Erik finally said, causing another twinge in her body, he felt it beneath his hands. "I expected just a walk."

"I did too." She answered; "Because that was the original plan. Everything else after that was improvisation."

"So…what now?" She didn't know; she wanted to say that it was a mistake and she never should have done it. But she felt so warm and wanted with his arms around her waist, with him there to rest her head on.

"I've got no idea from this point on." She told him honestly, she felt his grip tighten around her waist, and his lips under her earlobe. A sensation went through her, a sensation that made her want to whip around and tear his clothes off again. But she restrained herself again.

No more words were said between them, since they couldn't find the words that could accurately say what they were thinking. Erik wanted to stay like that, to have a woman in his arms to care for and to hold onto, but Alex just wanted to back to the way they used to be. The longer he sucked on her neck though, and the more he held her next to him, the less she wanted to go back.

"Could you do something for me Erik?" Alex asked him, all she needed was solitude. She had to separate herself to think everything over.

"Sure"

"Can you go into town and tell Amy and Lila that they can come over later tonight for Poker Night?" She felt him nod his head against her, and give her another kiss on her cheek.

"Sure" He slid his arms away from her, and went out to the stables to get a horse. Alex watched him leave, and when he was gone, she fell down on a chair in the dining room. She had to think, what did she want from Erik? Did she want to pursue the relationship further, or cut it off there before she could get hurt?

The more she thought about it, the stupider it seemed to be thinking of it. Erik was a nice man who had never once lied to her. He had opened up her eyes to what it's like when everythings right. She wanted to be with him, she wanted to try and see if the relationship could work; and if it couldn't, she would lose a good friend.

But she knew that being friends with him was not enough, and if she wanted to ever be in a relationship again, she would seize the day and be with Erik, because that was what she truly wanted. All she had to was just surrender.

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**XD dude, I got this idea from a review by hot4gerry! Again. I figured it would be a good idea, and I flipped a coin that came up heads. So I pursued the idea and here we are.**


	31. Things we leave unspoken

**Things we leave unspoken, thinking it's for the best**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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Erik turned over and smelled the peachy scent in her hair, his arms clasped around her waist as she slept beside him. How many times he's dreamed of holding Alex in his arms after a night of lovemaking, he's never dreamed it would actually come true. When he came home after running her errand, she made him see that she wanted to pursue him further. 

He held her close to him, he kissed her neck softly; he knew that if they were to truly be together, he would have to tell her everything he'd been lying about. He had to tell her that he was the murderous phantom of the opera; he had to let her know though that he would never dream of hurting her or her children. He had to tell her that he loved her.

He knew that telling her the truth would ruin what he gained, and that was why he waited. He didn't want to lose her; he wasn't going to lose his last chance for love and happiness. Because he knew that without Alex there was no happiness, there were no more chances for him to find love. Alex was his, and if that meant having to lie to her for the rest of their lives to keep her, he would do that.

Never the less, Alex had told him everything about herself. She told him about her prostitution, about everything. And he held back so much from her, he held it back because he was afraid of how she'd take it. She would hate him, he knew she would.

So even as he laid there in bed with her, listening to her soft breaths in the stillness of the room, he writhed in guilt. How could he keep so much from her? If he wanted to be technical, she didn't even love him, she loved the man he'd invented. The good, honest, manager of the opera populaire that was burned by a flying curtain.

What would she think if she heard that he had killed an enormous amount of people? If she knew that he had been the one who burnt the opera populaire down, and had a massive bounty on his head? But worst of all- what would she do if she knew that he'd been lying to her over and over again since he met her? Would she ever forgive him and give him a chance for redemption? He very seriously doubted it.

He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and kissed the side of her head. It was almost time for him to get back down to his room to elude Bryan. That was something both Erik and Alex had agreed on, they would do their very best to escape Bryan's radar for the time being. Until they felt it was the right time to let her family know of their undisclosed business, they would make it a secret.

Erik gave her a small kiss before climbing out of her bed and putting his clothes back on. After he was dressed, and as he made his way out, he heard her whisper to him, "Good night"

"Good night." He said back before quietly leaving her room and making his way down to his own.

As he tried to get to sleep, he writhed with guilt. He didn't know how long he could go without telling her that he'd been lying to her. He heaved a sigh before he pulled his blankets tightly around him and closed his eyes with his head against his pillow. There was no need to worry about what would happen if she found out, because if he had any luck in his new life, she wouldn't.

* * *

He'd gone out that next day to get some groceries from town and to deliver Alex's new manuscript to be sent to her publishers. She'd worked very hard and he was happy for her. She'd worked hard during the last few months to get it done, while at the same time giving her daughter's equal time with her, and everything else she had to do. 

At the time that Erik got back to the house, and after he'd put the groceries away for Alex, he returned to the main room to see her standing there with her arms crossed under her breasts, and her eyes full of ice.

"Erik, I think there's something you need to tell me." She said frigidly, Erik shook his head.

"What makes you think that?"

"Those police officers- the ones who were inspecting Carlotta's death- came by today." He swallowed hard, they'd found something out, he knew it. "They said they looked into you. They went to the city hall in Paris, took out the records of everyone who had been manager at the opera house. You're name was never listed. They then went to Christine De Changy- the only survivor of the opera house fire that still resided in Paris. Raoul told them of a man in a mask with a deformed face who wanted to marry Christine- but ended up burning the opera house down." She shook her head, trying to believe he wasn't any part of what the officers said. "Tell me it's a lie Erik. Tell me it's not true."

"Alex…" He wanted to say 'they're liars Alex, all of what they said was a lie. I was burned, you remember, I told you that' but she saw in his eyes that he was searching for answers.

"Why'd you lie to me?"

"Believe me Alex- if I'd have known back then that we'd be where we are now-"

"Then what? You'd have told me the truth?" She fell down onto the sofa, and put her face in her hands. "What else have you lied to me about?"

"Nothing Alex, I swear to god." He went to her and tried to hold her hands, but she wouldn't let him touch her.

"Tell me the truth." Erik saw the jig was up. He'd been found out, and now he had to confess his crimes and take the music like a man.

So he told her everything. He told her how he'd lived at the opera house for most of his life, how he lived in the cellars and taught Christine Daae how to sing. How he fell in love with her and did everything he could to keep her from going with the Vicomte, how he ended up burning down his only home because of his greed and hatred. How he killed countless numbers of people in the fire, how he strangled and murdered people to get the managers to do what he said.

By the time his story was over, he saw an empty look in Alex's face. Her eyes were glossy with built up tears, and her hands were fidgeting to try and keep from just sitting on her lap.

"But believe me Alex, you showed me a whole new world. Thanks to you I can't do those things anymore; you gave me a good home. I killed Carlotta so I could keep staying with you and the girls. I can't imagine living without you. Please believe me, I love you Alex."

She was silent, she was trying to decide weither or not she could believe him. Good god she wanted to. She wanted to believe that he wouldn't hurt her or her girls; she wanted to believe that he loved her and that he'd changed. But the hurt was too great, all the lies he kept from her overruled what was true. Because at that point she could no longer decipher his lies from his truths.

"Listen Erik," She started "I want to believe you, but I don't." She was shaking, trying to hold back hurt and betrayed tears, but she somehow couldn't keep them back, they slid down her face as she continued on with her stammering sentence. Straining her voice so it was audible. "Go away Erik, J-Just go. I won't call the police; I won't call them because I love you. But I won't have you here; I can't risk my girls' lives."

"Alex!" Erik stammered, taking her by the shoulders and looking her right in the eye. "You know I wouldn't ever hurt them! I love them too! I won't hurt people I loved."

"Erik I _can't_ trust you anymore!" She challenged coldly, pulling herself away from him. He reached for her again, but she moved away as if his touch burned. At that time she was sobbing so hard that she was almost hysterical. Like she was the day Thomas died. "Get out before I change my mind about calling the police."

Reluctantly, Erik did leave. He told her though that he really did love her, and he stayed until she told him the police were coming back at six to talk to him, if he didn't leave then, she would tell. But even after he left, she knew she wouldn't have.

Later that evening, Bryan and the girls came home to see Alex sobbing into a throw pillow, sounding as if she were choking on the fabric.

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**Oooooh! It took me from…4:30 to write this one, and its 9:46 now. I hope ya'll enjoyed this. FEAR NOT! This is not the end.**


	32. Striking Adversity

**Striking Adversity**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

* * *

Erik didn't wander far from the brook. He knew how the 'get out of my house' scene played out. Alex would come find him- or her daughter's would- he would go back with whoever came to find him, he would make up with Alex, and then he would ask her to marry him. Even if she'd been angry with him previously, he knew that living without her wasn't an option, he was either going to be with her, or he was going to die- and he wasn't just being dramatic. 

He put his back to the trunk of the large tree and wondered if he could repeat his actions from the last time. Maybe he could fall out of the tree, and he would be taken back to her house, where he could convince her to believe him. It seemed like a reasonable enough plan. If he just waited long enough, Chloe, Elle, and Sophie would come looking for him.

But he didn't think he could wait that long. He needed to at least be in the same house as her, he wanted to be able to walk into the living room and see her sitting on the sofa with a book in her hand.

Erik grinned. Alex always was a voracious reader. He never questioned why, because it was something he admired about her. One day she would be reading Edgar Allan Poe, the next she would be reading Shakespeare. That might have been the reason she was so smart and birthed such clever children. Christine never read like her, she was too busy with other things; like the ballet or learning from him. But then again there was that occasional cast party.

His grin faded as he dangled his leg over the side of the branch. What if Alex wouldn't take him back? If she didn't understand that he would never lie about loving her and her daughters; he knew he would no longer have a home with them. He didn't think he would be able to leave, if he went back to his lair in Paris- if he even still had one in Paris- he would miss her too much, and would probably end his life within the week.

Three years…three years with Alex and he didn't think to get close to her while he could. If he'd have just swallowed his ego and pride; he would have had more than just a minor taste of true happiness. He needed to taste it again, he needed Alex back.

Maybe he could climb into her house at night and try to convince her that he would never think of hurting her or the girls. He could try and persuade her into allowing him back into her home and into her heart- because he knew he made a mistake. He knew that she had to have known the truth, but what he feared most was exactly what she did.

He heaved a sad sigh as he shifted his wait to keep from sliding off the branch. Part of him wanted to go on and try to find somewhere else that would take him in. But then again- he doubted anyone would. He couldn't leave, even if Alex explicitly told him to get off her property, he didn't think he would have been able to. He was forever tied to the little mansion on the hill, where inside lived three beautiful little girls, and a gorgeous, gifted, novelist; all of whom he loved.

Sighing, he looked towards the tree tops. He wanted to go back, he wanted to force her to sit down and listen to him; but even if he did, he was afraid that she would be frightened of him. Even if she had nothing to be terrified of, he didn't want to see the panic in her eyes.

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**Super note: The next few chapters won't be all that long. I'm trying to space them out. But trust me, I've worked out the ending IT'S SUPER GREAT! **


	33. Whispers on the breeze

**Whispers on the Breeze**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

* * *

She shed her tears for Erik, except she didn't feel any better. She was always told that if she gave herself time to have a good, hard cry; she would feel better when all was said and done. She gave her self ample time to have a hard cry, to mourn the love that almost was, and once her time was up; she still had a heavy heart, and a need to run into the brook and look for him. Her pride wouldn't allow her to, but she almost swallowed it one afternoon. 

The girls missed Erik incalculably, almost as much as Alex did. They'd even gone into the brook to search for him, but by that time he'd moved on; and he was gone. She choked on her own sobs when they came back and said they hadn't found him.

In her dreams she still held onto him, even though she had to keep reminding herself of the things he kept from her, but even though she had, those things seemed so undersized compared to the kind of love she was losing. Even if he'd done those things in the past, he had moved past it. Who was she to judge him by his past, when she herself had made mistakes too?

But her past didn't include taking the life of millions of people. Her past only consisted of taking one life, and after that she called it quits for the whole whore business.

_Erik had called it quits too._ Her mind reminded her as she sat on the roof, letting the icy air blow her hair around. _He only killed one person since you two met, and that was because he didn't want to take the chance of losing you and you're girls._

"That's true…" Alex mused sadly, resting her jaw in her palms and gazing towards the brook. "…He's not coming home though…"

_Did you really expect him to?_ Alex shook her head.

"No, but I had hoped he would."

_Obviously you were wrong. You just lost out on something wonderful Alex. You can only hope he comes home eventually. I really doubt he will though, he's been gone for a week now. If he hasn't left you entirely, he's frozen or starved to death._

"Shut up" Alex spat at her own mind, Erik wasn't dead. She didn't know for sure, but she believed he wasn't.

She lay down on the shingles, and looked up at the bright winter sky, dotted with cotton clouds in random spots. Some shaped like dinosaurs, some shaped like rabbits, some shaped like squirrels, giraffes, a pirate ship, and a half-mask. She felt a tear slide against her temple when she saw the half-mask shaped cloud. It reminded her of him.

Closing her eyes, she could still remember that first time they'd accidentally kissed. It seemed like every milestone they reached together in their budding romance was by accident. Unplanned phenomenon's that lead them to feel a slight better-off, a little more alive and a little nearer to the other. Too bad they couldn't have at least one reached milestone that didn't lead to awkwardness and temperary silence between them.

Why did she have to be so damned stubborn? If she wasn't so stubborn she would have gone after him when she wanted to, and he would be home with her and her family. But she didn't, and he wasn't going to come back.

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**It's sort again- accidentally a little shorter than I wanted. I was going to add some more monologuish text, but the ending fit so well right there. So here we go, sorry it's short. I'm kind of hoping that the others will be longer.**


	34. What's in you're heart?

**What's in you're heart?**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

* * *

Chloe rose with the chickens that morning, long before Alex, her uncle, or her sisters. She was motivated to getting her mother and Erik back together; she hadn't ever been so close to finally having a father around as she was when she saw Erik sneak her mother a soft kiss on the cheek when they thought they were alone.

She wanted a family, a whole one. Not just a mother, an uncle, and two sisters. She wanted a father along with what she already had, a father who loved her and would do anything to protect her. Just like Erik- who had risked his life to keep her safe.

Quietly and swiftly, she crawled out of bed, and went over to the window facing a part of the brook. She sat on a chair beside the window, and looked out of it. She wanted Erik to come home, she missed him dearly.

"Chloe?" she turned around and saw Elle and Sophie standing in the doorway. Looking as if they too- couldn't sleep. "Are you awake?"

"Yes" Chloe answered, watching her two sisters come into her room and take a seat beside her window. "You two can't sleep either huh?" They shook their heads.

"I want Erik to come home…" Elle sighed sadly, looking between Sophie and Chloe, who were nodding in unison. "…do you guys think he will?"

"He _has_ to." Sophie said sadly. "This is his home, as it is ours. Momma loves him, that's what I heard her saying to Uncle Bryan anyway. She won't let him stay away, will she?"

"I wouldn't be surprised." Elle said sorrowfully. "Momma can be stubborn."

"We've got to come up with _something_ to get him to come home." Chloe groaned, hugging her knees to her chest. "I want a daddy, and more importantly I want _Erik_ to be our daddy. No one else could possibly love us like he does; remember when we sat on him when he didn't get us chocolate?" Her sisters giggled when they remembered. It was a fun poker night, the funniest they'd had in a long time. Their birth father- Bernard- wouldn't make silly little deals with them like Erik did, he just expected them to sit still and play amongst themselves.

So that night the girls sat up and planned what they would do. They stayed up until they had to split up to go back to their rooms so they wouldn't get in trouble, but even then they still brainstormed. But no good ideas came to them, they had to know where Erik was in order to tell him the plan, as far as they knew, he was as good as gone.

* * *

That next night Alex had her friends over for poker night. Amy brought over some cupcakes while Lila brought some wine. They had not yet been told about the trouble between Alex and Erik, but they did know that Alex and Erik did have sex, and wanted to know everything.

Lila, upon setting the bottle of wine down on the table, looked around for Alex's little 'messenger boy' as she called Erik once or twice since she first saw him.

"Where's Erik?" Lila asked as Amy set her homemade cupcakes on the table. That was one thing they looked forward to when they went to Alex's house for poker night, they wanted to see the mysterious and handsome man in the mask. But he wasn't there, and they were disappointed.

Alex- said nothing. She couldn't bring herself to admit to her friends that Erik had been lying to her ever since he moved in, and she kicked him out. But her friends, being as dear and close to her as they were, automatically knew what was wrong.

"Oh lord" Lila sighed, "You two had another argument didn't you?" Alex nodded her head shamefully.

"I told him to leave…But I thought he'd be back by now…"

"You shouldn't have gone and done that." Lila snapped at her, causing Alex to feel very small, and very insignificant. "You can't keep hoping that every time you two have an argument and you throw him out- that he'll keep coming back. He might never come back, and you'd have missed out on something wonderful." Alex nodded, as if she were speaking to an authority figure instead of a woman in her own age group. "Alex, you need to think about what you want. We know you want Erik, but _what_ do you want from him? Do you want to be married to him? A family from him? Or do you just want him to be you're temporary escape from the loneliness being almost divorced?"

"I-I want…" Alex paused, tapping her finger on the table. What did she want from him? She never gave it all that much thought. Sure, she had imagined herself with him in a family setting, but it was only an imagination. "…to be with Erik. I want him to be mine and only mine, because I've never had anyone who was solely mine."

"Is that all you want from him? Comfort? A sense of stability?"

"Mostly." Alex replied. "I'm willing to take what comes with it. If Erik is willing to be only mine, I'm more than willing to birth a child of his, to wear his wedding ring and to be completely his." She stopped, and then sighed. "But that doesn't matter anymore. He's gone, and he's never coming home."


	35. Finale

**Finale**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

* * *

Erik dared not leave the brook, but he had relocated further from the house. He wasn't going to let Alex know that he was still around, that he was watching over her home because it was his also. He was watching over his family, even if she didn't want him to.

Alex had been unable to think of anything else besides Erik, with some stranger who she didn't know, having tea and discussing their wedding plans. She knew that Erik couldn't possibly have found someone else, but she knew that it would happen sooner or later. He was a catch, and any woman would be lucky to have him.

She closed her eyes and tried to sleep that night, but she could only have that same image in her head. Erik, sitting with a beautiful blond woman- far prettier than Alex- in front of a roaring fire; while he stroked her swelling belly, cooing at the child inside. The image she that she had, with herself in the blond woman's place.

That night was particularly dark, being the darkest of the whole year, Alex could hardly sleep. It was difficult without the shine of the moon through her curtains; or the soft, warm, bare flesh of the man she loved lying right beside her. But she had to try, because neither her warm lover, nor the comfort of the moonlight was going to come that night.

Alex had the house to herself that night, the girls were sleeping over at their friends' houses, and Bryan was out on the streets with a mistress of the night. Normally, if she had her lover with her, they would have taken advantage of the momentary solitude bestowed upon them. They'd have made love in front of the fire place, being as loud as they wished, for it didn't matter to them if someone heard, because no one was there to hear anything.

Finally, after being rejected sleep for another our and a half, Alex decided enough was enough. She would put her petty pride away and go find the man she loved. She quickly went to her closet and dressed herself in a black-and-white stripped gown, and after putting on some sturdy boots, she went out into the snowy brook to find Erik.

The air was colder than ever that year. Ironically enough. She had to grope around to find her way in the darkness of the snow-white brook; she hoped to find Erik soon, because otherwise she would have gotten herself lost in the dark.

_Please be here Erik…_ she silently pleaded, before she got her foot caught on a root sticking out from beside tree; and fell over.

She hit the cold snow with her face down. She collected herself quickly when she felt the sharp pain in her foot, and knew that she'd sprained her ankle. Growling under her breath, she swore. _That's just great. Damsel in distress. _

"Alex?" Came a voice she pleaded to be Erik's, but alas, it was not.

* * *

Erik shivered in the tree branch, he would have to find somewhere to stay soon or he'd surely parish. He'd been surviving outside by constantly being on the move, but being sure not to wander too far from the house. Not only that but during the day he'd sought shelter in the local INN, knowing Bryan was at the house to watch over Erik's family while he wasn't there.

He still considered Alex and the girls to be his. Even though Alex didn't want him around, that didn't mean he would stop loving them and believing that they were his family, they'd been for the last two years or so, and that way they would stay. For as long as he should live.

* * *

"Bernard?" Alex questioned with a gasp, and it was- in fact- Bernard kneeling beside his soon-to-be ex wife. "What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, are you alright?" She winced as her hand clasped around her ankles, she shook her head.

"I-I sprained my ankle on that god damned root." She felt him fingering her ankle, before lifting her off the ground as he had lifted her the night they were married. Her ankles thrown over one arm, and her back resting against the other.

"Here, I'll take you home. Is Erik or Bryan around to get you up to bed?" He felt her shake her head.

"No, Bryan's out with one of his women and Erik is gone." She couldn't tell, but Bernard was smiling down at her.

Bernard got Alex home without a scratch, and gently put her down on her bed. She smiled, and thanked him rather politely. He patted her knee before going to get bandages to set her ankle with. But when he got back, Alex had closed her eyes, and was hoping that sleep could come. But instead, the only thing that came was a damp rag on her mouth. She struggled, but it seemed like the harder she struggled, the harder he pushed the rag on her face.

It wasn't long before she breathed in the chemicals on the rag, and lost all contousness. The only thing she could see from then on was the image of Erik holding her in his arms, cooing at her swelling belly, whispering those sweet words she hadn't listened to the first time he'd said them.

* * *

Erik woke with a jolt, and had to steady himself on the branch. Something had woken him from a dream where he held Alex in his arms, cooing at a child inside her, and telling her that he loved her. Those words were so inadequate to describe how he felt for her, it was stronger than love, and knew that if he ever had her back in his arms, he wouldn't do _anything_ to let her go.

Immediately, he had a strong feeling something was wrong in his house. He saw a light glowing from Alex's room, but it was a faint, fuzzy glow that he could have easily missed it. Sure, Alex could have just gotten up and lit a few candles, but he knew something was not right.

Bernard had lit enough candles to give the room a romantic glow, and then had filled the bath tub with hot water, not scalding hot, but very warm water. He waited until the tub was filled, and then he lowered his soon-to-be ex wife's body into the water.

He had planted a note at the front door, and had a knife waiting for his use in the bedroom ready to help him commit the deed. The best part was that he couldn't get blamed for any of it. Smiling to himself as he put Alex's body in the water, he brushed his finger along her cheek bone.

"Such a beautiful woman…" he cooed. "…but the only thing more beautiful than you is the 6 million francs I'll get in inheritance from you're tragic suicide." He heaved a sort of sad sigh and pushed some of her hair back. "You're only son died, and you blamed yourself. Now, you're beloved Erik has abandoned you, you were on the edge, no one will blink twice about finding you in hot water, bathing in a tub of your own blood. And you're heartbroken husband inherits all the money you've ever made."

"Alex?" Came Erik's voice echoing through the house. "Alex?" Bernard's head shot up as he heard Erik coming. He had to hurry and commit the deed before Erik could come and stop him.

Erik saw the note on the plant beside the door. He opened it and the wind was caught in his throat at what he read.

_Don't mourn me._

_Gone to be with my son._

_A.T. _

Quickly, he raced up to her room in hopes of stopping her before she killed herself, but instead he found Bernard standing beside Alex in a tub of hot water, with a knife to her wrist.

"Don't. Touch. Her." Erik spat angrily, no- angrily isn't a strong enough word. He was furious; he was filled with Rage, and hate. He was able to get Bernard away from Alex, and fight him in the bedroom.

Bernard had tried to stab Erik with the knife, but had missed and gotten his nose broken by Erik's dynamic fist. Erik almost got a black eye, but didn't, but he did get kicked in the stomach. Erik fell back, staggering to breathe. He wasn't dying, but the wind was nearly knocked out of him.

He fell back against an unused sewing kit given to Alex by her grandmother years before Erik even met her, and saw the pair of scissors sitting, waiting, taunting him with the perfect opportunity to give Bernard what was coming to him.

Quickly, Erik took the chance, and lunged at Bernard with the scissors, but missed. Bernard swiped at Erik with his knife, while Erik swiped back with the scissors. It was like a sword fight, but with smaller weaponry.

The metal of the tools clashed against each other with great force, and sent both their wielder's back. Breathing hard, they swiped at each other again, Erik was silently praying that Bryan would come in and inform the police about Bernard's plot to kill Alex, but he did not.

Erik took one sharp stab. He lunged the scissors forward, and stabbed Bernard up the ribs. He let the scissors go as Bernard- his lips stained with a flow of deep crimson blood protruding from his mouth- hobbled backwards, and fell through the window, onto the bushes below. Erik starred down at his enemy with the scissors through his gut; but not for long, because he'd remembered Alex.

He ran into the bathroom and checked her pulse, she was very much alive, and for that he was more than thankful. He pulled her out of the bath, and cradled her in his arms as if he was afraid he'd break her. Her face was so peaceful looking- even when she was about to be murdered for her money.

Erik gently whispered her name, hoping it would stir her awake. He waited, and waited, and waited until finally, her eyelids quivered open, and saw him before her. A pleased grin passed her lips as she placed her head against his shoulder, and asked that he tell her what happened.

So he had. He told her that Bernard was going to kill her, but it didn't matter anymore, Because Erik had killed him, and saved her life. At first, she was skeptical about his taking a life to save a life. But after she considered what had almost occurred, and the fact that Bernard had done nothing but cause her pain; she just asked that it be the last man he ever killed. And that, he promised.


	36. A Happy Ending

**A Happy Ending**

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own phantom of the opera. But if I did, it would be great._

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_…and finally, everything worked out fine, Amanda was saved; even though there wasn't much time. But after that night, things were never the same; and though that one night things got out of hand, she was still fond of that Raphael; that sweet man. _

Alex leaned back in her chair and popped her fingers as she starred at the paper in the type writer, the smell of ink still roaming around her study. She smiled proudly as she ended her latest novel; it was about time to send it in, because that was the second time she'd rewritten it, and redid it to make it perfect.

Closing her eyes, she could still see that night when Erik came to her side, even though he had not much of a reason to. She was grateful to him, and after Bryan had heard the story, he too was grateful that Erik had come to save his sister. The girls were never told what had happened, because they were too small to know Erik had killed a man to protect their mother.

Her smile widened a little as she folded her hands over her belly and felt a small rumble inside it, though she was not hungry.

As she sat in her chair, her head resting on the back of it and her eyes closed. She could only remember when she and Erik had first met. The way he was so smug, so rude, and so thankless. But then again, things were somewhat simpler back then. She had nothing to worry about but Thomas as he grew inside her, and after a while that became more of a blessing than a curse.

But Erik- he was so dead set on doing things alone, and staying as far away from Alex as he could get in his state of health. But as the time past, she saw his need for solitude fade away and his want for love and comfort from her family swell within him. He no longer could hide away in the darkest corners of her home; he strolled in the light with her, her daughters, and her brother. Where he belonged

Alex stood up from her chair, pulled the paper out from the typewriter and put it on the top of the upside down stack of papers from her manuscript. With a grin, she pushed some hair back behind her ear and went down to the living room.

She could never fully repay him for saving her life. He'd told her time and time again that she'd already repaid him, but in some ways she felt she had not. She remembered the night in bed when he tried to assure her that he was fully repaid, but she had denied it.

"To be equal," She had said to him "I would have to save you're life." The only thing he did was push her hair back away from her face, press his lips against her's, and smile.

"Believe me, you already have." That was the last they spoke of her life debt to him.

When she got in the kitchen, she stepped out onto the porch; where Bryan was playing guitar for his three 6 year old nieces, and asked him where Erik was.

"Living room," Bryan had told her, his hair was just as brown as it was then, if not a little longer now. She nodded and closed the door behind her. She could hear the strumming of his guitar as she exited the kitchen area, and it faded while she was in the hallway, on her way to the living room.

It took her not three minutes to get to the living room, and when she did, she saw Erik, just as tall, as thin, and as handsome as ever, sitting on the floor with his back pressed against the sofa. He sensed her presence- she guessed- and looked at her with the biggest grin in the world on his face.

"I finished my novel." She told him proudly, he nodded and motioned for her to join him. She did, sitting with her legs crossed under her brown dress; she allowed his arm to go around her, and he allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder as the two of them watched their one-year-old daughter, Julie, as she held herself up by laying her pudgy baby arms across the edge of the sofa cushions, her tiny, pudgy baby legs holding up her little torso. Alex smiled at her husband, and their daughter. "She's beautiful."

Erik nodded. "She takes after her mother."

Julie did not share some of the traits of the sisters who were older than she. But that was to be expected because of their different fathers. Julie had short, light black hair that curled at her neck and the most beautiful, shiny, blue eyes. They were like two glowing orbs shining through with light. She- unlike her father- was born with absolutely no deformities what so ever.

Erik placed a kiss on his wife's forehead as he lifted her wedding finger, and caressed the beautiful golden band given to her not long after that faithful night that he'd come to her aid. It was a simple golden band with "E+A" Inscribed across it.

"Alex..." He cooed in her ear, giving her a simple kiss under her earlobe, causing her to smile even wider. He placed his hand on her belly, and caressed where they're next child rested until it was time to come out. "...I love you." He continued before Julie had wobbled over to them, and fell into her parents' laps. She looked up at her parents, and gave them a big smile, showing off her two; tiny, pearly white front teeth that had come in.

In the end, once things had calmed down and a ritual had emerged back in the mansion, you could say Erik got everything he'd ever wanted. Christine never again came into his mind, because now he had his black-haired beauty of a wife to see in his head, and again when he opened his eyes every morning to her smiling at him with love for him shimmering in her gaze.

He knew that if he had a chance to turn back the clock to that faithful night that he had crashed the chandelier and change the course of everything that had happened because of it-he knew he wouldn't dare.

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Yep, this was the end. I hope ya'll enjoyed my fic! This one actually was supposed to be a fic that I would put on here, but I didn't expect it to be popular at all. But I'm pleasantly surprised that it did turn out to be popular.

**I'm planning out my next fic now, so I hope to see ya'll there when I come up with it.**


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